‍Note from FPI CEO Sadaf Knight

This year was one of special significance here at Florida Policy Institute — it marked our 10th anniversary of FPI’s founding! I want to first send heartfelt thanks and gratitude to all of our partners — the grassroots organizations, government watchdogs, child well-being advocates, faith-based groups, educators, historians, and every Floridian who shares our vision for a state that works for everyone.

In celebration of our 10th anniversary, FPI’s impact report highlights just a few of our priority initiatives over the past few years and the work that we’ve done with partners to reach our shared goal of making Florida a better place to live, work, and raise a family. 

There is still work ahead to uproot the harmful and outdated policies that are putting at risk health, well-being, and livelihood of families here. Through our partnerships, we will continue our efforts to dismantle such barriers in 2025, on both the state and federal level, while defending critical programs and services like SNAP, Medicaid, and K-12 education.

We hope you consider making a tax-free donation to Florida Policy Institute. Every dollar you contribute will help us continue our research and analysis on the most critical issues that impact Floridians. Your continued support also helps us forge strong partnerships, ensuring that we are building together with the people and groups who want the best for Floridians.

Sincerely,

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Sadaf Knight, CEO
Florida Policy Institute

Report: Celebrating a Decade of Shared Policy Impact

Below is our impact report, which — in celebration of FPI's 10th anniversary — examines our growth as an organization and our shared impact in select initiatives over the course of the decade. The report is divided into the following sections:

• Early Years (2014-2018)
• Opposing Diversion of Public School Dollars to Private Schools 
• Weighing in on End of ‘Continuous Coverage’ and Promoting Urgent Need to Expand Medicaid 
• Urging Lawmakers to Make Corporations Pay Their Share and Paving the Way for Tax Relief for Families Who Need it Most
• Highlighting the Importance of Inclusive Immigration Policies
• Advancing Policies that Help Returning Citizens Enter the Workforce 
• Prioritizing Food Assistance for Children 
• Advocating for a Strong Safety Net in Florida
• Building Awareness of Florida’s Shared Policy Past
• Leading the Charge Against Child Labor Law Rollbacks

Early Years (2014-2018)

2014 - 2016 - Think tank takes shape

FPI was officially founded in the summer of 2014. FPI’s first executive director, Joseph Pennisi, joined the organization in the spring, focusing on building the organization’s administrative and financial infrastructure. Funding was secured by the Ford Foundation, Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation, and an anonymous donor. By the summer of 2015, FPI’s 501(c)3 status was approved, and FPI began hiring staff.

2017 - 2018 - FPI begins laying out policy agenda

In 2017, the focus at FPI was on taking a more proactive role during the legislative session. FPI staff met with 26 legislators and legislative staff to introduce them to FPI and provide analysis on policy proposals that were moving through the Legislature. 

The year 2018 was one of change for FPI. After laying the groundwork, Pennisi retired that summer and the search began for new leadership at FPI. In the fall of 2018, the board selected Sadaf Knight to serve as chief executive officer and Holly Bullard to serve as chief strategy and development officer of FPI.

At the same time, FPI had jumped into a lead role around a constitutional amendment on the 2018 ballot that would establish a supermajority requirement to raise revenue. While the measure ultimately was adopted by voters, the effort helped to elevate FPI’s presence in the state as a policy leader.

In the lead-up to the 2018 election, FPI also launched the first iteration of its proactive agenda, the “Roadmap to Shared Prosperity,” which encompasses the four central goals of FPI’s work:

• Fostering community well-being by investing in education and health
• Spurring sustainable growth by promoting equitable economic development, investing in smart infrastructure, and improving climate resilience

• Advancing shared prosperity by nurturing inclusive communities and building a strong safety net

• Cleaning up and modernize the tax code for a stronger future

After laying the groundwork in its early years, FPI then pivoted to growing its partnerships with state, local, and national groups around shared policy priorities. Below are just a few of the initiatives that FPI has been involved with. Each initiative includes a summary and then a brief overview of FPI and partners' work by year.

Opposing Diversion of Public School Dollars to Private Schools 

Summary

FPI’s research has played a pivotal role in shaping the conversation around school vouchers in the state. The organization’s rigorous analyses have informed legislative debates and have been cited by policymakers, journalists, and education advocates, providing clear data on the massive cost of private school vouchers. 

Together with local, state, and federal partners, FPI has brought to light major issues with Florida’s voucher program and spearheaded calls for greater transparency. 

2022 - Rising school voucher costs catch the attention of FPI and the Education Law Center

In September 2022, a report on school vouchers authored by FPI and the Education Law Center found that flow of state aid to private school vouchers had reached an estimated $1.3 billion in the wake of the Florida Legislature’s enactment of the Family Empowerment Scholarship (FES) program in 2019.

During a virtual press conference hosted by FPI and ELC the morning of the report’s release, Leon County Public Schools Superintendent Rocky Hanna called upon Florida lawmakers to halt the exponential expansion of vouchers. Representatives from Southern Poverty Law Center, the League of Women Voters of Florida, the Hillsborough County League of Women Voters, and the Alliance for Public Schools also participated. The report and press conference garnered ample coverage in the media, including in the Tallahassee Democrat  and on WCTV, Action News Jax, and WLRN, and they helped shed light on the diversion of education funding from public to private schools.

2023 - Florida House and Senate fast-track universal voucher legislation as projected cost garners widespread coverage and concern 

One of the Florida Legislature’s top priorities in 2023 was passing legislation, HB 1, to make the state’s private school voucher program universal. The measure removed income and growth limits, thus expanding it to wealthy and homeschool families. FPI worked with the ELC on an estimate of the expansion and found that a universal voucher program would cost an unprecedented $4 billion in the first year of implementation alone. This estimate proved accurate as the massive voucher expansion was implemented. 

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FPI and ELC’s estimate helped spur editorial boards for the Tampa Bay Times, Miami Herald, and Sun Sentinel to weigh in and express concerns with HB 1. 

In conjunction with Families for Strong Public Schools, FPI held three press conferences on universal vouchers in 2023. FPI and ELC’s research was cited in 160 unique articles and — as noted above — quoted in multiple editorials in major outlets. Importantly, the Legislature acknowledged FPI’s fiscal impact analysis and appropriated additional funding so that public school dollars were protected in FY 2023-24.

Later in 2023, several months after the universal voucher law took effect, FPI also spearheaded a letter from 31 nonprofits, education advocates, faith-based organizations, and others to the Florida Department of Education calling on the state to release information on education voucher awardees.

While the department did not issue a response to the sign-on letter, Step-Up For Students, one of the nonprofits overseeing voucher distribution, released enrollment data on voucher scholarships. In a statement, FPI noted that “roughly 7 in 10 new scholarship awards are going to students already enrolled in private school, at what FPI estimates is a $676 million cost to the state.”

2024 - Coalition prioritizes investment in public schools

In the FY 2024-25 budget, lawmakers appropriated $3.9 billion for universal vouchers, proving that FPI and ELC’s earlier cost estimate was spot on. 

In June 2024, FPI joined P.S. 305 and other Miami-based groups and parents gathered for a press conference to highlight the harmful impact of chronically underfunding K-12 public education in the Sunshine State, and to call on Florida lawmakers to address the needs of public-school families. The event received coverage in the Miami Herald and Florida Phoenix.

The event preceded the Miami-Dade school board’s vote to repurpose Shadowlawn Elementary and Parkview Elementary, schools serving historically Black and immigrant communities.

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During the press conference, groups noted that Florida lawmakers have for decades neglected public K-12 education, which has manifested in numerous ways across the state, particularly in Miami-Dade County, via cuts to programming, school consolidations, school buildings in need of critical repair, and low teacher salaries. The local groups pointed out that this undermined public schools’ ability to offer transformative educational experiences, especially in communities of color. 

Additionally, in order to defend public school funding amid the growing cost of vouchers, FPI, Families for Strong Public Schools, P.S. 305, Freedom to Read Project, Pastors for Florida's Children, Moms Rising, and the Florida Education Association coalesced to build awareness and streamline ongoing efforts to safeguard investment in public school families and communities.

Weighing in on End of ‘Continuous Coverage’ and Promoting Urgent Need to Expand Medicaid 

Summary

Advancing policies that ensure accessible, affordable health care coverage has been a key priority for FPI. Collectively, the organization has published more reports, briefs, and fact sheets on health care than on any other issue area. 

FPI has worked to preserve the state’s Medicaid program by opposing budget cuts and work requirements, and by promoting the benefits of Medicaid expansion.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, a federal provision ensured that children and adults were able to keep their Medicaid coverage without having to reenroll. However, when the provision sunsetted on March 31, 2023, there was massive loss of Medicaid coverage in Florida, which FPI and partners had warned would happen in the months leading up to sunset date. FPI, Florida Voices for Health, Florida Health Justice Project, Catalyst Miami, and other groups brought widespread awareness to this issue, holding several press conferences and urging policymakers to streamline the disenrollment process. 

FPI has been vocal in spreading awareness about the benefits of expanding Medicaid to all adults with low income, including the additional federal funding the state would receive through enhanced FMAP. 

FPI’s Medicaid chartbook, which was originally published in May 2016 and is updated every couple of years, is an important resource for state lawmakers, health care advocates, and members of the media.

2021 - FPI and partners support closing the coverage gap through federal legislation

FPI, Florida Voices for Health, Florida Health Justice Project, and numerous other partner groups and directly-impacted individuals worked with members of Florida’s congressional delegation to ensure inclusion of language closing the coverage gap in the federal Build Back Better (BBB) framework. On Nov. 19, 2021, BBB passed the House with a three-year provision to close the coverage gap.

2022 - Continued work on closing the coverage gap

At a virtual press conference in July 2022, members of Health Care for Florida, including FPI, urged Congress to address the Medicaid coverage gap in upcoming reconciliation legislation. 

During the event, groups noted that hundreds of thousands of people fell into the coverage gap because state leaders had failed to expand Medicaid. The press conference received coverage on WUSF.

Later that year, FPI, Florida Health Justice Project, Florida Voices for Health, and 38 other Florida-based organizations sent a letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis in which the groups urged the state to publish its plan for the end of continuous coverage. Shortly thereafter, the Tampa Bay Times featured an above-the-fold story, “DeSantis urged to release plans,” which cited the letter.

FPI, Florida Health Justice Project, and Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families also participated in a press conference centered on the latter group’s finding that the number of uninsured children in the United States declined during the pandemic thanks to the continuous coverage protection.‍

2023 - Working group meets to discuss end of continuous coverage

In January 2023, a coalition of organizations including FPI, Florida Health Justice Project, Florida Covering Kids and Families, Florida Voices for Health, and Catalyst Miami convened the Department of Children and Families (DCF), Florida Healthy Kids, social service providers, health systems administrators, and managed care organizations for a day-long meeting to ensure provisions were in place that fostered minimal disruptions in coverage for Medicaid recipients once eligibility was redetermined. 

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The convening, which was livestreamed on Florida Voices for Health’s Facebook page and YouTube, provided an overview of DCF’s plan for the end of the Medicaid continuous coverage provision. Additionally, the group of stakeholders, including community providers, planned to partake in developing a strategic plan to monitor the end of the public health emergency in Florida. 

2023- Predictions about end of continuous coverage come to fruition 

FPI and partners consistently sounded the alarm that the end of federal continuous coverage protections would result in massive health care coverage loss among Floridians.

These fears were confirmed after data from April 2023 — the first month after continuous coverage protections expired — showed that 250,000 Floridians had their coverage terminated. Of those, 82 percent had their cases closed for procedural or “red tape” reasons, not necessarily because they were no longer eligible. On the heels of this data coming to light, FPI and 51 other organizations signed a letter calling on the Department of Children and Families (DCF) to pause the state’s Medicaid redetermination process.

Additionally, FPI hosted a press conference with Florida Health Justice Project, Northeast Florida Healthy Start Coalition’s Maternal & Child Health Policy & Research Center, and Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families, the first of three FPI would spearhead on this issue in 2023,  during which the groups shared concerns about the Medicaid “unwind.” The group also continually urged DCF to opt into appropriate waivers throughout the year, pointing out that Florida was the only state in the nation that had not adopted waivers from CMS that would allow the department to reduce red tape for families.

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In September 2023, FPI published an interactive map of children’s coverage loss in Florida, which tracked the total number of children disenrolled from Medicaid during the unwind. (FPI updated the map on a monthly basis with new data through April 2024, which marked the end of the 12-month unwind period.) 

2024 - Paving the way for a Medicaid expansion ballot measure  

February 2024 marked the start of petition circulation efforts to place Medicaid expansion on the 2026 ballot. FPI is closely involved with the ballot initiative, and as a part of the executive committee for Florida Decides Healthcare, FPI plays a central role in leading on the initiative strategy, providing timely and accurate research and analysis on the positive impacts of expanding Medicaid, and engaging in outreach to Floridians alongside partner groups. 

The ballot effort kicked off with a virtual press conference in February 2024, during which FPI joined partner groups to discuss the benefits of expanding Medicaid to all adults with low income. The event received widespread coverage, including in Florida Politics, USA Today - Florida newspapers, and the Tampa Bay Times.

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In other health care-related news, FPI wrapped up work on the interactive map of children’s Medicaid coverage loss, which was updated monthly during the 12-month Medicaid “unwind” period. The map showed that, as of May 2024, Florida had seen a net disenrollment of 647,243 youth aged 20 and younger from Medicaid after the ending of federal provisions that allowed families with low income to keep their health insurance coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic. This included a net disenrollment of 532,078 youth aged 0 to 18.

FPI and Florida Health Justice Project have continued to track the state's expansion of its CHIP program, KidCare, which has been delayed due to the state's late submission of a 1115 waiver for its Medicaid program and due to the state suing the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Due to the efforts of partners and advocates, this issue has gained significant traction and attention in the public dialogue, putting the state in the spotlight for its accountability to the massive coverage losses in Florida.

Urging Lawmakers to Make Corporations Pay Their Share and Paving the Way for Tax Relief for Families Who Need it Most

Summary 

Florida has the most upside-down tax code in the nation, meaning that people with low income pay the most in state and local taxes and the wealthiest Floridians pay the least as a share of household income. 

FPI published several annual analyses on the state’s “silent spending,” or spending through the tax code, along with briefs on the true cost of sales tax holidays, the benefits of reforming Florida’s corporate income tax, and the issues that arise from relying heavily on the state sales tax as a form of revenue. 

FPI and partners continue work to advance policies that reform the state’s regressive tax code, including measures that would ensure corporations are paying their share and legislation that would create a Working Floridians Tax Rebate (WFTR), or a state-level version of the federal earned-income tax credit. 

2020 - Building support for a state EITC

In 2020, 30 states had their own version of the Earned Income Tax Credit, a key support to help families make ends meet and to reduce the upside-down nature of state tax codes. 

FPI strongly supported legislation that would establish a state EITC in Florida. 

2021 - Advocating for real tax relief and sounding off on corporate tax incentives

An FPI report published in September 2021 found that enacting the WFTR would increase economic stability and opportunity, boost local economic activity, and improve child and community well-being.

The report found that an estimated 2.1 million working Floridians would see a rebate under the WFTR, which would inject about $862 million each year into the state economy.

During a September 2021 press conference at his Miami Gardens office, Sen. Shevrin Jones unveiled legislation he introduced that would implement a WFTR set at 20 percent of the federal EITC. He was joined by representatives from FPI and Catalyst Miami, along with a Miami resident who said she would benefit from the tax rebate.

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FPI also published an analysis of the state’s sales tax holidays, noting that they provided only nominal release, and the think tank made the case for reforming Florida’s corporate income tax and investing additional revenue generated into public services.

In 2021, FPI also authored two op-eds related to tax policy. The first, which appeared in the Tampa Bay Times, highlighted that a WFTR would provide better tax relief to families than sales tax holidays; the second, which appeared in the Herald-Tribune, explained how state lawmakers missed an opportunity to direct new revenue from the state’s modernization of online sales tax collection into the General Revenue Fund.

2022 - Lawmakers allow massive corporate tax cut to sunset

Together with Fund our Future (formerly the People’s Budget), FPI worked to build awareness of a $3 billion corporate tax cut proposal (CS/SB 1090) that would have diverted state dollars away from budget priorities like public education and affordable health care.

FPI placed two op-eds on the topic (one in the Orlando Sentinel and the other in the Herald-Tribune), wrote several letters to editorial boards letting them know about the prospect of a multi-billion corporate giveaway, ran ads, spearheaded a sign-on letter to the governor, and hosted a panel discussion on Facebook Live.

In a tremendous win for Florida families, state lawmakers did not include the outsized corporate tax break in the final tax package (HB 7071). By excluding CS/SB 1090, the Legislature saved Floridians approximately $3 billion.

After the legislative session had ended, FPI analyzed tax data obtained via a public records request and found that 475 corporations in Florida with more than $50 million in annual revenue — 20 percent of the state’s ultra- wealthy corporations — paid no state corporate income tax in 2020.

The report was picked up by the USA Today Network-Florida and appeared in numerous dailies across the state.

2023 - FPI continues efforts around WFTR

In April 2023, a coalition of Florida-based groups — FPI, Catalyst Miami, Florida Rising, Hispanic Unity of Florida, the People’s Budget Florida, SEIU Florida, and UnidosUS — in favor of greater tax relief for Sunshine State families unveiled a new website (www.workingfloridiansrebate.org) to promote the benefits of enacting the WFTR.

The same year, FPI and Catalyst Miami co-authored an op-ed that made the case for a WFTR. In the piece, which appeared in the Miami Herald, the authors wrote that temporary sales tax holidays like Florida’s “Freedom Week” failed to provide real relief to those who need it the most.

2024 - Continued work to promote the WFTR 

Legislation was introduced in January 2024, HB 1601/SB 1570, that would create the WFTR. The House bill was filed by Reps. Ashley Gantt, Dotie Joseph, and Christopher Benjamin, while Sen. Victor Torres Jr. filed the Senate bill. 

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Although the legislation did not make it to the House or Senate floor for a vote, in February 2024, Rep. Gantt offered an amendment to the House’s tax package (HB 7073) that would require the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability to conduct a study on the WFTR. Although the amendment failed, FPI continues to lay the groundwork for a WFTR by providing lawmakers with data on how the rebate would provide real tax relief for families with low to moderate income.

In September 2024, Jason Garcia, author of the Seeking Rents newsletter, discussed the benefits of a WFTR with FPI on his podcast.

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Highlighting the Importance of Inclusive Immigration Policies

Summary

Ensuring inclusive immigration policies and making Florida a more welcoming state for immigrants benefits everyone in the Sunshine State.

FPI has provided research on and advocated for expanded access to driver’s licenses for people who are undocumented, along with the importance of ensuring in-state tuition rates for Dreamers.

In 2023, the Florida Legislature passed one of the most anti-immigrant measures in recent history, SB 1718, which has created a climate of fear and confusion within the immigrant community and puts the state economy and local economies at risk. FPI and partners strongly opposed this measure and continue to advocate for more inclusive policies for all immigrants.

2019 - Report highlights benefits of driver’s license equity

In November 2019, FPI released a report, “Safeguarding the Roads: Granting Driver’s License Access to All Floridians,” which found that expanding driver’s license eligibility to include all Floridians — regardless of immigration status — would result in an estimated $68.6 million in state revenue within the first three years of implementation.

Multiple outlets reported on these findings, including the Miami Herald, and FPI was interviewed for segments on WLRN and ABC Action News.

2020 - Support grows for more inclusive driver's license policy

In January 2020, Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith and Sen. Jose Javier Rodriguez introduced legislation (HB 1451/SB 1856) that would expand driver’s license access to all Floridians, regardless of immigration status. In a press release announcing the bill, Rep. Smith cited data from FPI's 2019 report regarding the additional revenue that the policy would bring to Florida.

That same month, FPI authored an op-ed in the Orlando Sentinel that recommended several ways the state could take a more inclusive approach to immigration policy. The piece reiterated the benefits of driver’s license equity laid out in the previous year’s report.

2022 - Pushback on anti-immigration policies

Toward the tail end of Florida’s 2022 legislative session, FPI cautioned that legislation (SB 1808) moving through the committee process, dubbed “Immigration Enforcement,” would entangle Florida further into federal immigration policy and harm Florida’s immigrants. 

In February 2022, several groups, including FPI, Florida Immigrant Coalition, and others, provided testimony in opposition to SB 1808 during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing. FPI noted that detaining immigrants on behalf of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had already cost local governments tens of millions of dollars over the last three years, and that the bill “advocates spending even more” by mandating that all 67 counties participate in such agreements with ICE. That same month, FPI authored an op-ed in the Gainesville Sun urging lawmakers to reject the divisive legislation. FPI also published a fact sheet that provided some critical facts about Florida immigrants and their significant contributions to the state.

Despite opposition from numerous groups, Gov. DeSantis signed the legislation into law in June 2022.

2023 - Advocates help remove several harmful provisions in anti-immigrant bill  

Groups coalesce to oppose most anti-immigrant legislation in recent history

During the 2023 legislative session, Florida lawmakers introduced an anti-immigrant bill (HB 1617/SB 1718), with provisions that would put at risk public health, deal a major blow to the state’s GDP, further marginalize immigrants, and create new felony charges for everyday Floridians.

FPI and partners pushed back against the harmful measure since the governor had first requested in January 2023 that the Legislature take it up during session.  

In April 2023, 80 health care providers delivered a letter to legislative leaders urging them to vote against HB 1617 and SB 1718. Simultaneously, health care providers and policy experts, including from FPI, spoke at a press conference to build awareness of the bill’s broader harms. The virtual event was covered by several outlets, including WUSF and Bay News 9.

FPI also analyzed provisions in the legislation that would have negative, far-reaching impacts on businesses and the state’s economy. FPI found that employers across six major industries would, on average, lose 10 percent of their workforce, and the wages they contribute along with them.

Originally, SB 1718 and HB 1617 had much broader language and punishments that included felony charges for transporting undocumented immigrants within the state and harboring, concealing, or shielding them from protection. Various stakeholders, including FPI and faith and business communities, pushed back early in session, pointing out this could mete out punishment to almost any Floridian who learns of someone’s status. The legislation was eventually amended to make it a felony to transport immigrants into the state, which has a much smaller impact.

FPI examined some key groups that would be disproportionately affected by the legislation’s human smuggling provisions (i.e., married couples and farm workers), along with projected incarceration costs. However, even with improvements to the legislation, FPI pointed out that 130,000 undocumented immigrants are spouses of U.S. citizens in Florida. Under HB 1617/SB 1718, a U.S.-born spouse could be subject to a third degree felony simply for returning home with  their loved one after traveling or vacationing out of state. 

Overall, FPI played a key role in providing research and communications support to oppose the legislation. Unfortunately, despite widespread opposition from non-profits, health care providers, and advocates, in May 2023, Gov. DeSantis signed SB 1718 into law. 

‍In-state tuition for Dreamers preserved in 2023

The governor had also proposed repealing Florida’s 2014 law that grants undocumented undergraduate students in-state tuition; however, the Legislature did not include this provision in SB 1718 or companion bill HB 1617.  

An FPI report published in March 2023 that explored the economic benefits of providing in-state tuition to Dreamers served as an important resource for partner groups and lawmakers in support of preserving this policy.

2024 - Continued work to make state more inclusive for immigrants

In 2024, FPI advocated for "The Welcoming Florida Act," filed for the first time in the 2024 session, which would undo many of SB 1718's provisions and advance proactive priorities, like driver's licenses for all and state financial aid for DACA recipients. While the legislation did not move, FPI remains committed to analyzing — and advocating for — policies that make the state more inclusive for immigrants.

FPI also released a brief in April 2024 to push back on the state's claims that undocumented immigrants are costly to health care. FPI was interviewed by several media outlets on the analysis, including WUSF and WMNF.

Helping Returning Citizens Enter the Workforce 

Summary

FPI supports numerous policies that would reform the state’s criminal justice system. The organization’s body of work includes analyzing and advocating for reforms to Florida’s fines and fees system, addressing outdated infrastructure at Department of Corrections facilities, investing in educational and diversion programs, and improving the state’s occupational licensing system for people with past convictions. This section of the impact report focuses on the latter: FPI’s work to remove barriers that make it difficult for returning citizens to enter the workforce.

An FPI analysis that found enacting common-sense occupational licensing reforms could have yielded savings of $60.8 million to $152 million in reincarceration costs during FY 2020-21 and FY 2021-22, in addition to providing pathways to economic mobility for returning citizens. 

One of FPI’s priority bills in 2024, which would have made important reforms to the occupational licensing system, passed the House and Senate unanimously, but was ultimately vetoed by Gov. DeSantis.

2019 - Passage of the Florida First Step Act

FPI strongly advocated for smart criminal justice reforms with fellow members of the Florida Campaign for Criminal Justice Reform, including Florida Cares and the Southern Poverty Law Center. Disappointingly, lawmakers did not pass an earlier, more impactful version of the Florida First Step Act. The legislation that did pass, HB 7125, included several small victories. The bill reduced occupational licensing barriers and offenses that have resulted in driver’s license suspensions; additionally, it raised the felony threshold from $300 to $750 and eliminated mandatory direct file, which is the prosecution of children as adults.

In a March 2019 op-ed that appeared in the Pensacola News Journal, Palm Beach Post, Florida Times-Union, Gainesville Sun, Daily Commercial and The Ledger, FPI voiced support for — among other reforms — an increase in the state’s felony theft threshold.

2020 - Support for legislation to reform Florida’s occupational licensing system

FPI published a three-part series, "Florida's Approach to Criminal Justice Cannot Go Back to 'Normal',' which included a blog post that called on legislators to reduce occupational licensing barriers for Floridians with a criminal record. Additionally, FPI teamed up with the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition on an op-ed — the piece appeared in the Tampa Bay Times — which stated that "more work must be done to ensure that everyone, including returning citizens have the opportunity to fully contribute to Florida's economy.”

While legislation that would reduce barriers for returning citizens to obtain occupational licenses passed the Senate Committee on Criminal Justice, there was no movement in the House. 

2021 - Shaping the debate around reforming Florida’s occupational licensing system

As FPI has highlighted, Floridians with past criminal convictions face multiple roadblocks when pursuing occupational licenses, such as required training hours and associated costs, disqualifying periods, and "good moral character" criteria used by licensing boards as basis for denying applications. These policies have hindered returning citizens from gaining access to dozens of occupations — threatening their ability to successfully integrate in their communities and increasing their likelihood to re-offend.

FPI, along with Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, advocated for HB 953, legislation that would reduce barriers to occupational licensing for returning citizens. FPI authored a bill analysis and blog post on the legislation.

The bill passed several key committees in the 2021 legislative session and was introduced in both the Senate and House in advance of the 2022 session.

2023 - Continued work on occupational licensing reform

In March 2023, FPI and the DeVoe L. Moore Center published a "A Completed Sentence, But Ongoing Punishment: How Past Criminal Convictions Bar Floridians from Occupational Licensing Opportunities," which explores how expanding occupational licensing opportunities for people with criminal records would result in fiscal benefits to the state.

The following month, dubbed “Second Chance Month,”  FPI cautioned that the state’s “collateral consequences” related to occupational licensing make it difficult — if not impossible — for returning citizens to become barbers/hairdressers, cosmetologists, contractors, or enter numerous other professional fields.

In an Orlando Sentinel op-ed, FPI further examined the benefits of occupational license reforms through the lens of Florida’s budget, noting that reforms could help save taxpayer dollars in reincarceration costs. 

FPI was also a driving force behind legislation (HB 489) that would — amongst other things — reduce the period of time during which a criminal record could be used by licensing boards as grounds to deny an applicant. Although the bill moved through its necessary committees, there was no floor vote.‍

2024 - Legislation to reform occupational licensing system passes both chambers

Even though Florida’s occupational licensing regulations are among the most stringent in the nation, in June 2024, the governor vetoed a bill — a measure that passed unanimously in the House and Senate — which would have made common-sense reforms to the system and helped foster economic stability for people who completed their sentence.  

In a statement to the media, FPI noted that the legislation, HB 131, would have “paved career pathways for returning citizens” and benefitted the state budget through reduced recidivism rates.

Prioritizing Food Assistance for Children 

Summary

FPI has been at the forefront in advocating for food assistance for Florida children.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, FPI and partners, through the Safety Net Advocacy Coalition, successfully advocated for the State of Florida to participate in the Summer Pandemic EBT program, or Summer P-EBT. The state ran a program for three years: in 2021, 2022, and 2023. Those efforts then shifted to pushing for an ongoing SUN Bucks/Summer EBT program. The state did not participate in SUN Bucks in 2024 and has not — as of December 2024 – indicated to USDA that it would participate in 2025. However, FPI, Florida Impact, Bread for the World, and other organizations concerned with childhood hunger have not given up efforts.

If Florida participated in SUN Bucks it would provide low-income families with $120 per eligible child in food assistance when school is out for the summer months. 

2021 - Florida applies for Summer P-EBT after steady pressure from advocates

In August 2021, FPI, Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, Feeding Tampa Bay, No Kid Hungry, and Florida Impact cautioned that the Sunshine State had not yet applied for Summer P-EBT, one of only a handful of states that had not taken action. Soon after, the Safety Net Advocacy Coalition (SNAC) activated more than 80 organizations, who signed a letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis and Department of Children and Families Secretary Shevaun Harris asking that the state reconsider bowing out of the program.

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Several of these organizations also activated their own networks of affected families, faith and business leaders, and medical experts, and the issue received widespread media coverage in Florida, including in the Tampa Bay Times and Orlando Sentinel, and several editorial boards published pieces urging the state to take action.

Just one month after groups first sounded the alarm, Florida announced that it planned to run a Summer P-EBT program in 2021. It was the last state to apply.

FPI’s explainers on Summer P-EBT were among the most-viewed publications on the organization’s website in 2022.

2022 - Prioritizing food security for kids

In summer 2022, Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) applied for over $840 million in federal dollars through the Summer Pandemic Electronic Benefits Program (Summer P-EBT). FPI and partners strongly urged the state to apply for Summer P-EBT, marking the second year in a row that anti-hunger advocates in the state played a key role in helping secure these funds for millions of Florida children.

2023 - State runs a Summer P-EBT program for third year in row

In June 2023, the USDA Food and Nutrition Service once again approved Florida’s plan for Summer P-EBT, which provided a one-time payment of $120 per eligible child. The state estimated that it would issue $264 million through P-EBT to 2.2 million school children over the summer.

FPI released an updated fact sheet on Summer P-EBT in July 2023, which provided answers to some of the most commonly asked questions pertaining to P-EBT, including who was eligible, whether people had to apply, and when families of eligible children could expect to receive benefits.   

2024 - State Passes on 2024 SUN Bucks/Summer EBT

Despite the popularity of Summer P-EBT in the previous three years, Florida policymakers did not administer a 2024 SUN Bucks program, passing up $259 million in federal dollars to feed 2.1 million children in the state during the summer months.

SUN Bucks, formerly known as Summer EBT, is a food assistance program for children in families that are struggling to make ends meet. The program gives each eligible child $120 in grocery assistance when school is out in the summer. The program works hand in hand with other anti-hunger programs like SNAP.

Groups pressure state to apply for a 2025 SUN Bucks program

In spring 2024, FPI joined Bread for the World and Florida Impact, both members of the Safety Net Advocacy Coalition, on a sign-on letter to state leaders emphasizing the crucial need for a 2025 Summer EBT Program in Florida. The letter included 185 signatories — anti-hunger groups, faith-based organizations and places of worship, children’s advocacy groups, non-profits, foundations, and others.

As FPI noted in a May 2024 blog post, when school is out for the summer, children do not have access to free meals through the National School Lunch Program. SUN Bucks/Summer EBT works jointly with other food assistance programs to pick up the slack and put food on kids’ plates during the summer months.

Right before Thanksgiving 2024, FPI led a renewed push for a 2025 program, crafting a form for Floridians to email their state legislators to ask them to support SUN Bucks. As of December 18, Floridians had sent more than 1,000 letters.

Advocating for a strong safety net in Florida

Summary

FPI has played a central role each year in opposing cuts to SNAP, TANF, and other crucial safety net programs. FPI spearheads the Safety Net Advocacy Coalition, or SNAC. The coalition is made up of 89 nonprofits, health advocacy groups, food banks, legal aid services, faith groups, and others, all committed to preserving the health and livelihood of families struggling to get by on low income.

2019 -  TANF work requirement proposal dies in committee process

FPI helped defeat legislation, HB 959, that would have significantly lengthened the sanction period for people unable to comply with work requirements in the TANF Employment and Training program.

2020 - SNAC coalition takes action

In spring 2020, the pandemic spurred unprecedented unemployment, increasing the demand for access to no- or low-cost health care services, food assistance, and affordable housing. FPI, recognizing the urgent need to leverage and strengthen safety net programs to best respond to the crisis, spearheaded a statewide push to protect Sunshine State families during the unprecedented health and economic crisis.  

In March 2020, FPI and 44 organizations, including the League of Women Voters Florida, Faith in Public Life, New Florida Majority, and Organize Florida, signed a letter outlining steps to bolster the state's safety net. The letter, which was reported on in the Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times, included 47 specific policy recommendations.

SNAC was crucial in informing policy around the importance of protecting SNAP, Medicaid, TANF, WIC, and other vital programs, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. By August 2020, 26 of the 47 policy recommendations were adopted.

In July 2020, the state Department of Children and Families (DCF) announced that it was reinstating work requirements and ending recertification extensions for SNAP and TANF.

That same month, the Daytona Beach News Journal Editorial Board published “Keep Safety Net for Families,” urging the state to hold off on reinstating work search and recertification requirements. FPI is cited in the write-up. Nine other editorial boards from across the state published identical pieces.

On the heels of the joint letter and media attention to this issue, DCF changed course and opted to continue waiving safety net work requirements through October 2020.

2022 - Focus on enuring food and economic security for returning citizens

During the 2022 legislative session, Bread for the World, Florida Impact to End Hunger, Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, Operation New Hope, FPI, and other organizations across the state pushed for the introduction of legislation — The Food Security Upon Reentry Act (HB 6079/SB 762)— which would remove Florida’s lifetime ban on food and cash assistance for people with past drug felony convictions.

While the bill, which had bipartisan sponsorship, did not make it to the House or Senate floor for a vote, FPI and partners laid the groundwork for renewed efforts in future years.

2023 - Legislature urged to repeal archaic “family cap” law

Even as millions of Florida families struggle to make ends meet, state legislators have failed to raise benefit levels for TANF, which provides cash assistance to families with very-low income. In fact, the maximum benefit, $303 a month, has remained unchanged since 1996. In addition, state legislators have not repealed Florida’s “family cap” law, which denies parents some or all TANF benefits for additional children born while they are participating in the cash assistance program — a policy rooted in the historical legacy of attempts to exercise reproductive control over Black women.

FPI has led the discussion on TANF levels and Florida’s use of “family cap,” and made the case for reforms to Florida’s cash assistance program in an earlier blog post.

Although legislation that would repeal family cap (HB 1631) died in the committee process, FPI renewed its commitment to strengthening the state’s safety net in 2024 and advocating for similar legislation.

2024 - Continued work on improving TANF program and removing barriers for Floridians

In 2024, FPI continued to raise awareness on the state’s inadequate TANF benefits levels and the problems with Florida’s “family cap” law. Additionally, FPI urged legislators to remove the lifetime ban on SNAP and TANF for people with past felony drug convictions.

Building Awareness of Florida’s Shared Policy Past

Summary

In October 2022, FPI rolled out The Florida Timeline.

The Florida Timeline is FPI’s ongoing initiative to draw awareness to the systemic racism that has permeated historical laws in Florida. The timeline connects historically inequitable policies to present-day harm and demonstrates how policies that center racial justice have a shared, positive impact for all Floridians. 

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The initiative originally focused on tax policy and criminal justice sections of the timeline.

Since its launch, the timeline has grown, with sections added on education, worker justice, and food security.

At the core of The Florida Timeline is a lesson in shared prosperity. As Heather McGhee describes in her 2021 book, “The Sum of Us,” the vast majority of people benefit when everyone joins together to remove historical barriers to racial and ethnic equity.

2022 - Initial rollout of The Florida Timeline

FPI launched The Florida Timeline initiative during a well-attended event co-hosted with Eckerd College St. Pete Center for Civic Engagement and Social Impact on October 19, 2022. The event included presentations and a panel discussion. The latter focused on the connection between the present-day challenges that many Floridians face and historical inequities in criminal justice and tax policy.

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2023 - New sections added to The Florida Timeline

In 2023, FPI continued to grow its multimedia initiative, The Florida Timeline, by releasing intervals on education and worker justice. The education section of the timeline begins in the mid-1860s, when the newly formed “Freedmen’s Bureau” quickly put education at the forefront of the agency’s agenda and worked to establish schools in the South, despite resistance from white Southerners, who refused to board teachers and blocked access to buildings that could be used as schools. The education interval ends in 2023, a year in which lawmakers extended voucher eligibility to all K-12 students in Florida, even to the wealthiest families in the state, diverting billions of dollars away from Florida’s public schools. As the Florida Timeline notes, “given that a majority of Florida’s public K-12 students are children of color, disinvestments from Florida’s public schools will further widen racial inequities.”

The worker justice section of the timeline examines the period from 1845, when Florida first joined the United States as a slavery-sanctioning state, to the modern-day struggle for workers’ rights. As noted in the timeline, the legacy of slavery and Florida’s economic reliance on exploited labor continues to resonate as domestic workers remain sidelined from basic workplace rights and the state’s service-driven labor force pushes for better pay.

FPI also held an event in October 2023 at the Historic Lyric Theater in Miami, which featured an art showcase and panel discussion centered on The Florida Timeline. During the event, FPI and partners explored how data-driven research, visual arts, and storytelling can be used to spark conversations about the state’s history.

Artists included Ana Rodriguez (Nitastrokes), Eddie Arroyo, Marvin Weeks, Nerissa Street, and Taylor Jancetic (ChromeC0), and the event was co-sponsored by Allegany Franciscan Ministries.

2024 - FPI grows The Florida Timeline by adding food security section

In November 2024, FPI rolled out another section of The Florida Timeline focused on food security.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), National School Lunch Program (NLSP), and other anti-hunger programs have proved effective in reducing poverty and helping Floridians put food on the table. However, as FPI highlights in the food security section of the Florida Timeline, systemic racism in state and federal laws and regulations has driven disparate rates of food security and economic stability by race and ethnicity. 

The food security section of the timeline begins in 1886, children of imprisoned Indigenous parents at the St. Augustine School for Apache Children were forced to eat a culturally inappropriate “western” diet of foods that made them physically ill. There were multiple examples of dietary racism in the decades that followed, the timeline shows, from the WIC pilot program’s initial prohibition on the purchase of legumes despite the preference for beans in Latin American culture, to a National School Lunch Program requirement that every child who participated in the program take a carton of dairy milk with their meal unless they submitted a written note from a licensed physician — even though approximately 80 percent of Black and Indigenous children are lactose intolerant.

Leading the Charge Against Child Labor Law Rollbacks

Summary

When legislation (HB 49) was introduced that would undo long-held child labor protections in state law, FPI immediately took action, releasing timely analyses, providing testimony to the Legislature, and working with labor, education, and child welfare advocates to spread awareness on how the legislation would put the health and safety of Florida children at risk. 

Although the Legislature passed HB 49 and the bill was signed into law, the final version of the legislation scaled back several egregious provisions, including some that FPI had advocated for, like preserving the existing curfew and maintaining some form of breaks for working teens.

FPI also weighed in on HB 917/SB 460, legislation that would allow teens to work in building construction under certain conditions. FPI noted that because much of the legislation’s language was vague or contradictory, it risked violating federal law and putting Florida teens’ safety at risk. 

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2023 - Groups take action after Florida Legislature introduces bills to roll back child labor law

In September 2023, the Florida House filed HB 49. The legislation would have allowed employers to schedule 16- and 17-year-olds for unlimited hours, overnight, and without breaks during the school year. It also would have blocked cities and counties from passing stricter — but not more lenient — curfews than state law. 

In October 2023, FPI published a fact sheet and created an Action Network form enabling Floridians to email their legislators and ask them to oppose the bill. Eventually, more than 600 letters were sent.

In November 2023, the Legislature filed another bill impacting teen workers, SB 460. Most of the bill (and its House counterpart that the Legislature ultimately passed, HB 917) included positive changes for students and working people to gain exposure to skilled trades like electrical and plumbing work. Still, FPI opposed this legislation because it would also allow 16- and 17-year-olds to work in dangerous construction jobs outside of a registered apprenticeship or student learner program. As filed, both bills would have allowed teens to work in hazardous residential and commercial building construction jobs, including on scaffolding, roofing, and ladders above 6 feet.

In December 2023, FPI hosted a webinar on the bills to roll back child labor. The webinar included guest speaker Jason Garcia, a corporate accountability reporter and producer of Seeking Rents, who discussed his journalism investigating the genesis of HB 49. 

2024 - FPI and partners advocate against harmful provisions to undo child labor law

By the end of February 2024, legislation to roll back child labor protections was continuing to move through the committee process. 

FPI published an updated blog post on SB 460, legislation related to career and technical education that would also weaken child labor laws on construction. FPI alo provided testimony on HB 917, noting that the think tank “appreciate[s] that the bill sponsor has been open to amendments.” However, FPI also stated that further changes were needed to clarify “that no Florida employer can hire teens to work in hazardous roles,” including companies “that may be exempt from federal child labor laws.”

The Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board published a piece citing FPI’s research on the bills and urging lawmakers to reject child labor law rollbacks.

Both before and during the 2024 legislative session, FPI met numerous times with legislators and staff, testified in committee meetings, convened meetings with partners, published timely analysis on the bills, spearheaded a 100-group sign-on letter addressed to state leaders, and more.

FPI also made HB 917/SB 460 a priority in its child labor coalition, webinar, and press conference. FPI highlighted the dangers and illegality of allowing teens to work in roofing jobs (even if only helping on the ground), especially when bolstered only by insufficient training and supervision. The Legislature ultimately narrowed the legislation to only allow 16- and 17-year-olds to work in residential building construction under 6 feet that does not violate federal law, including that most relevant to child labor — the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Still, the Legislature resisted calls to make it clear with HB 917 that not only are teens banned from working on roofs (i.e., above 6 feet), but they must also be shielded from any roofing work, like being a helper on the ground.

The Florida Legislature also ultimately passed HB 49, and the governor signed the bill into law in July 2024. The enacted legislation allows employers to schedule 16- and 17-year-olds for more than six days in a row during the school year. It also carves home- and virtual-school students out of state child labor laws entirely, meaning they could be scheduled for overnight shifts on a school night or for more than 30 hours in a school week.

FPI was a staunch opponent of HB 49 since the bill was first introduced in fall 2023. The version of the bill passed by the Legislature, thanks to the sustained upswell of opposition from FPI and partners, did not pose the same degree of risk to Florida’s youth as it would have if the original version of the legislation was enacted.