Chamber Forum: Casey DeSantis pitches Hope Florida to business leaders

‘There are so many people doing so many wonderful things.’

First Lady Casey DeSantis made a surprise appearance at the Florida Chamber of Commerce’s Future of Florida Forum, urging Florida businesses to get involved with charitable causes in their communities.

The First Lady wasn’t listed on the agenda that the Florida Chamber circulated ahead of the event. But FloridaCommerce Secretary J. Alex Kelly said he’d been hinting that a “surprise guest” would join him and joked that Beyoncé was one of top guesses.

“Those expectations, you’ve got to lower them a little bit. That way I’m delivering on something,” DeSantis responded.

Kelly was originally slated to participate in a discussion with Florida Chamber President Mark Wilson titled “Aligned on the Path to 2030.” But the last-minute audible — feigned or not — steered the conversation toward Hope Florida, a donation-funded effort led by the First Lady that connects Floridians with resources in their area that can guide them toward self-sufficiency.

DeSantis emphasized the program’s work to break down the barriers separating people in need from community- and faith-based organizations in their backyards. She said while she was learning how the state’s Department of Children and Families (DCF) operates, she noticed that charitable organizations, government agencies and the people both are meant to serve were operating in their own “silos.”

“There are so many people doing so many wonderful things, whether it’s the private sector, whether it’s the faith-based community, whether it’s our business community, whether it’s state government or local government, it’s all great stuff. But it’s all very siloed, right?” DeSantis said.

“Another profound thing happened when we were at the Governor’s Mansion in 2019 and the Governor was talking to his agency heads, and he was also talking to the Legislature, and we were doing a roundtable about mental health at the time. I’ll never forget, he said something along the lines of, ‘I don’t want you guys to work in silos.’ And I’m like, That’s it, right? We’re working in silos.”

The First Lady noted that many families who seek assistance from DCF may end up with temporary government benefits, such as TANF or SNAP, but with little to no help crafting long-term solutions to the obstacles they face.

DeSantis said, “That would be where the story ends. You’d have somebody processing that, and then they would pretty much go on their way. What we have done through Hope Florida, is we have taken those folks and transitioned them over to now be ‘navigators,’” which is the program’s title for people who connect Floridians to nongovernmental resources.

DeSantis then pivoted to how businesses can get involved with the program. Donations are welcome, of course, but the private sector can also help individuals directly by signing up to become a “Hope Employer” — or, a business that provides flexible employment to struggling Floridians, such as single parents.

For those who prefer a more hands-on approach, the state is launching a new partnership with Volunteer Florida to connect volunteers with opportunities to support the Hope Florida initiative and other community efforts.

“I’m telling you,” DeSantis said of Hope Florida recipients, “these are great folks who are just looking for an opportunity to be able to live up to their God given potential.”