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Explain the Hope Florida scandal to me like I'm 5
Explain the Hope Florida scandal to me like I’m 5In which stealing from taxpayers and the poor is wrong
Tampa Bay Times, by Stephanie Hayes, 4/25/2025
No paywall: https://archive.is/plpOS
What does Florida think?
Floridians believe all kinds of things! For instance, some believe that Hey Dudes are a good-looking shoe. Some believe you don’t have to wear pants to the mall.
Florida’s government is led by Ron DeSantis. His wife is Casey DeSantis. They believe the second thing. Not the part about pants, the part about the government being more hands-off. They want fewer people to use Medicaid, a government program that helps low-income people, children, the disabled and more.
OK! What are they doing about that?
They set up this program called Hope Florida. It is supposed to connect struggling people with help from churches and charities. Credit for this idea goes to Casey DeSantis.
That’s nice.
Yes, it sounds nice.
Are they doing that?
Well, we don’t know. They say they are, but they refuse to prove it. It’s like when Susie said she went to Disney, but you’re pretty sure she just went to the Mouse-o-Rama Motel because she has no pictures outside of a continental breakfast line.
Is that why my dad is walking around gripping a newspaper and putting quarters in the swear jar?
Maybe, but he’s probably more upset about a scandal that’s going on.
Floridians believe all kinds of things! For instance, some believe that Hey Dudes are a good-looking shoe. Some believe you don’t have to wear pants to the mall.
Florida’s government is led by Ron DeSantis. His wife is Casey DeSantis. They believe the second thing. Not the part about pants, the part about the government being more hands-off. They want fewer people to use Medicaid, a government program that helps low-income people, children, the disabled and more.
OK! What are they doing about that?
They set up this program called Hope Florida. It is supposed to connect struggling people with help from churches and charities. Credit for this idea goes to Casey DeSantis.
That’s nice.
Yes, it sounds nice.
Are they doing that?
Well, we don’t know. They say they are, but they refuse to prove it. It’s like when Susie said she went to Disney, but you’re pretty sure she just went to the Mouse-o-Rama Motel because she has no pictures outside of a continental breakfast line.
Is that why my dad is walking around gripping a newspaper and putting quarters in the swear jar?
Maybe, but he’s probably more upset about a scandal that’s going on.
https://www.tampabay.com/opinion/2025/04/25/hope-florida-explained-what-happened-medicaid-desantis/