SARASOTA, Fla. — Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis made a stop on Thursday in Sarasota County to announce the expansion of Hope Florida, a state program aimed at helping families achieve "economic self-sufficiency."
Since Hope Florida was established in late 2021, the program has connected groups like foster children, at-risk youth, pregnant mothers and people with disabilities to non-profits and faith-based communities that can help them achieve economic success, the first lady explained during a news conference at New College of Florida.
The program uses "government as a conduit to be able to put good people in need with good people in the community who are already doing good things," DeSantis said. "We just had to make the connection."
The first lady announced on Thursday that in addition to non-profits and faith-based communities, Hope Florida will now provide opportunities through state colleges and universities, starting with New College.
This program expansion will focus on connecting people with unique abilities and disabilities to jobs at the college's library, food services and administration. It will also include at least two full-ride scholarships to Floridians in need of support.
"All life has value and all life should be esteemed," the DeSantis-appointed New College President Richard Corcoran said of the new partnership.
First Lady DeSantis said that so far, Hope Florida has helped 8,500 people transition either partially or entirely off of government assistance.
New College, which previously had a long-standing progressive reputation, has become the focal point of an effort by Gov. Ron DeSantis to rid higher education in Florida of what the governor calls left-leaning “woke” indoctrination. In May, he signed into law a bill banning the state’s public colleges and universities from spending money on DEI programs.
At the start of the year, Gov. DeSantis selected six new trustees for the school, who fired the president in favor of former state House Speaker Richard Corcoran. The trustees also have denied tenure to five professors despite criticism that such a move poses a threat to academic freedom.
More than a third of the school's faculty members have left following the change and scores of students also have transferred.
The conservative takeover has gained national attention, prompting a visit in April by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of California in which he sharply criticized DeSantis and the changes underway at New College.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.