Florida's $1.6B Surplus for Disability Services

0:00It's April 16th. Welcome to Tampa Bay News today, powered by AI. Thousands of Floridians with severe developmental disabilities are stuck on a wait list for home-based services that can stretch years, even though over $1,60,000,000 sits unspent. That's the state's four-time $6,000,000 surplus plus the federal match, according to financial records from the agency for persons with disabilities. This backlog isn't new. Back in the day under Governor Jeb Bush, they cleared the whole list by tripling funding after a lawsuit from parents. But it grew again during the Great Recession under later governors, and even with Florida's booming surpluses now, the wait list lingers at over 16,000 people. Families are paying a heavy price. One guy in Seminole County waited 17 years for basic help with eating and daily tasks. Another kid in Lee County suffered a skull fracture and broken back from a fall. Then waited 385 days for care, despite an emergency claim. Caregivers burn out, risking home

1:03losses or worse. Not spending this cash could actually cost taxpayers more long-term. Keeping folks at home runs about $60,000 a year per person way less than the over $100,000 for institutions when. Families collapse. Lawmakers have heard the stories, but momentum fizzled fast. State officials say they've cut the list from $20,000 to $16,000 in the past year. But advocates worry some got wrongly kicked off or lost existing services. With billions idle in lives on hold, Florida's got to rethink priorities to match the need with the funds.