Florida food stamp rolls fall 19.5% as state starts paying more of program costs

Florida's food stamp enrollment has fallen by about a fifth in a year, and federal cost rules that took effect Oct. 1 shift more of the program's expense onto the state, according to federal data and reporting by the Orlando Sentinel.

Fewer Floridians enrolled

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's most recent participation report shows 2,358,796 people in Florida received benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, in June 2026. In June 2025 the figure was 2,928,851, which means enrollment fell 19.5% in a year, or about 570,000 people. The state Department of Children and Families runs SNAP in Florida with federal money.

The decline followed the federal budget law Congress passed in 2025, which Republicans called the One Big Beautiful Bill. The Sentinel reported that the law reduced federal SNAP spending by $186 billion, added stricter work requirements and barred some immigrant groups from the program.

States now pay more

Part of the law took effect Oct. 1. States now pay 75% of SNAP's administrative costs, up from 50% before. The Sentinel reported that Florida's added share could top $50 million annually.

Under the same law, states will also start paying part of the benefits themselves, at a level set by each state's payment error rate. That rate counts both overpayments and underpayments. The USDA's figures for fiscal 2025 put Florida's error rate at 12.97%, compared with 10.62% nationwide.

WUSF reported that states above 10% must cover 15% of benefit costs. The Florida Policy Institute estimates that would cost Florida about $984 million in the 2028-29 fiscal year. States that bring their rate under 6% avoid the charge.

Competing views

Recipients told the Sentinel they could not reach the state to find out why their benefits were cut or reduced. State Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, said the state "is more concerned about avoiding federal penalties on error rates than it is about helping those who do qualify get benefits." DCF did not answer the Sentinel's requests for comment.

Republican budget leaders, including Sen. Jason Brodeur of Central Florida, declined to comment.

Joseph Llobrera of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities told the paper that many states now require more verification, which adds work for both households and caseworkers.

Food banks report rising need

Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida supplies food pantries in seven counties, Seminole among them. The food bank told the Sentinel it reached roughly 330,000 meals' worth of food a day earlier this year, compared with 150,000 before the 2020 pandemic. "For every meal that food banks like ours provide, SNAP provides nine," said Greg Higgerson, the food bank's chief development officer.

Sources

orlandosentinel.com

fns.usda.gov

fns.usda.gov

wusf.org

floridapolicy.org

feedhopenow.org