Along with signing legislation that would ban abortions after 15 weeks, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) also announced an effort to invest in foster care. Over the weekend, the Governor’s team reaffirmed its commitment to bolster foster care in Florida. The Governor’s announcement included $385 millions that would stimulate Florida’s foster care system.
In the announcement, the Governor’s team shared that “from foster parents who step up, to tuition exemptions for kids in the child welfare system, Governor DeSantis is making positive advancements in the lives of those often overlooked.”
The effort comes after the Governor addressed a “fatherhood crisis,” launching a financial initiative that would provide $70 million to “put programs in place that support fathers and help families stay connected and engaged with each other.”
On Monday, when DeSantis signed H.B. 7065, the “Child Welfare” bill, DeSantis commented that “if you look over the last many decades, one of the worst social trends has been the decline of fatherhood, and we do have in many instances a fatherhood crisis in this country.”
SB 7034 passed during the legislative session that came to a close on March 14th, and Senate President Wilton Simpson (R) championed the approval.
“Improving the level of benefits for family members and foster parents could mean all the difference when these folks are considering whether they can take in a vulnerable child,” he said.
DeSantis also praised the effort, noting that “though this funding, more than 7,000 foster parents and caregivers will receive this subsidy for the children that are in their care,” adding that “that’s going to make a big difference.”
“From a feasibility perspective,” DeSantis added, “foster parents have to work to put food on the table like anyone else,” so “this will help them in that regard.”
Furthermore, DeSantis informed that licensed foster parents have significantly grown by 4,000 since 2019.
