For disabled Floridians and their families, finding the right support can already mean navigating a complicated maze of services, phone calls, and paperwork. Hope Florida was supposed to make that process easier by connecting people in need with organizations that could help. But some residents say they were instead sent down dead ends, leaving them frustrated and still searching for the assistance they needed.
As reported by the Tampa Bay Times, that was the experience of Liz Goodman, who turned to Hope Florida while struggling to find support for her 17-year-old autistic son, Logan. Hoping the program might help her find an aide or tutor, Goodman instead received a list of nonprofits and churches she already knew couldn’t provide the help her son needed. “It wasted my time,” she said. Two years later, the family had moved to North Carolina after eventually finding support elsewhere.
Unfortunately, Goodman wasn’t alone in coming away frustrated. The outlet spoke with 10 people from Florida’s disability community about their experiences with Hope Florida, with several describing referrals that led nowhere or organizations that couldn’t provide the assistance they needed. Others said they received little meaningful help at all, raising questions about whether the program is delivering on its promise to connect vulnerable Floridians with real support.
Among those angered by the controversy was 22-year-old JJ Holmes, who has severe cerebral palsy and had previously turned to Hope Florida for assistance. After the program pointed him toward resources that he and his family said couldn’t provide the support he needed, Holmes reacted to learning about the Medicaid funds by saying, “I feel totally betrayed.”
The concerns come as Hope Florida is already facing intense scrutiny over a separate controversy involving $10 million in Medicaid settlement money. The funds were directed through the Hope Florida Foundation to two nonprofits, which subsequently sent millions to a political committee, prompting investigations and questions from lawmakers over how the money was handled.
For families already struggling to navigate Florida’s disability support system, however, the consequences can be deeply personal. Many programs and nonprofits operate with limited resources, leaving some residents waiting years for assistance or struggling to find help at all. When Hope Florida then points families toward services that cannot meet their needs, those dead ends can mean even more time spent searching for support while parents and caregivers continue shouldering much of the burden themselves.
Florida Residents Share Their Own Experiences With Hope Florida
Florida residents were quick to react to the investigation on Reddit, with one parent realizing they had personally dealt with the program. “Holy [expletive], reading this made me realize I briefly dealt with this. My daughter has cerebral palsy and someone referred us to a ‘Hope Navigator’ and all they did was sent us a list and told us to follow up with the people they listed,” they wrote. The commenter continued, “I never followed up because it was useless, but I had no idea this was THAT ‘Hope Florida’.”
Other parents shared their frustration, with one writing, “As someone with a child with disabilities, this kind of stuff pisses me off.” Another resident pointed to what they saw as a broader shortage of meaningful assistance, adding, “There are next to no people actually DOING something for disabled or needy people in this state.”
The discussion also drew a response from someone who said they work for the Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD) at a state-run facility. “Earlier this year, they cut off overtime for hundreds of staff members because of ‘budget issues,’” they claimed. “My family’s livelihood has been directly impacted by this. We are struggling to pay our basic bills and put food on the table.”
Meanwhile, the controversy surrounding the $10 million remained a major source of anger. After one commenter simply wrote, “Stole 10 million,” another responded, “From disabled people and kids.” One resident summed up their feelings about the situation more broadly, writing, “What a cruel state we live in, but people voted for it.“
For Florida families trying to find support for a loved one with a disability, every phone call, referral and application can represent another hope that help is finally within reach. When those paths instead lead to dead ends, families aren’t just losing time — they’re left carrying the burden for even longer. Whatever happens next with Hope Florida, the experiences shared by these residents highlight just how important it is that families asking for help are connected with support that can genuinely make a difference in their everyday lives.
