ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue on Saturday announced Florida's approval to provide those who are part of the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, or SNAP, the ability to buy groceries online.
The change comes after the Florida Department of Children and Families filed for approval to launch the pilot program earlier this week under Gov. Ron DeSantis' direction.
This change allows Florida families to be able to buy groceries online with their Electronic Benefit Transfer card.
“After executing Executive Order 20-91 to limit outside activities to essential services, this commonsense policy approach is a no brainer,” DeSantis said. “Allowing Florida families to purchase groceries online instead of venturing into a public store is a sound practice during this public health emergency and yet another step that will help Florida flatten the curve.”
Under the former federal regulations, SNAP recipients cannot purchase groceries online. This change allows SNAP recipients to have access to food while practicing social distancing.
“I commend Governor DeSantis for his tireless efforts to ensure Florida’s most vulnerable population has the information, resources, and services needed to respond to and ultimately endure this public health emergency,” DCF Secretary Chad Poppell said.
Perdue's approval allows the state to expedite the pilot program's launch with online retailers. The target launch date is set for April 21.
SNAP recipients can shop online with Walmart and Amazon to buy groceries.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said nearly 3 million Floridians across 1.5 million households participate in SNAP, totaling to nearly $4 billion in federal funding annually.
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