HB 1327 2025
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to community services for needy 2
individuals and families ; creating s. 23.41, F.S.; 3
providing a short title; creating s. 23.42, F.S.; 4
providing goals of Hope Florida; creating s. 23.43, 5
F.S.; providing definitions; creating s. 23.44, F.S.; 6
creating the Hope Florida Office within the Executive 7
Office of the Governor; providing duties of the 8
office; providing eligibility requirements for Hope 9
Florida participants; specifying that Hope Florida is 10
voluntary; specifying mechanisms by which individuals 11
may receive assistance; requiring the office to 12
designate a state agency to perform certain functions; 13
creating s. 23.45, F.S.; requiring Hope Navigators to 14
be embedded in communities for specified purposes; 15
requiring care plans to include certain steps and 16
timelines; specifying duties of the Hope Florida 17
partner network; requiring specified state agencies to 18
participate in Hope Florida at the direction of the 19
Executive Office of the Governor; requiring 20
participating state agencies to use existing resources 21
and personnel, if possible; authorizing other entities 22
to participate in Hope Florida at the direction of the 23
office; providing an effective date. 24
25
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 26
27
Section 1. Part IV of chapter 23, Florida Statutes, 28
consisting of sections 23.41, 23.42, 23.43, 23.44, and 23.45, is 29
created and entitled "Hope Florida." 30
Section 2. Section 23.41, Florida Statutes, is created to 31
read: 32
23.41 Short title.—This part may be cited as the "Hope 33
Florida Act." 34
Section 3. Section 23.42, Florida Statutes, is created to 35
read: 36
23.42 Hope Florida goals. —The goals of Hope Florida are 37
to: 38
(1) Streamline access to support, services, and assistance 39
so that residents in need can reach their full potential within 40
their local communities and to holistically coordinate care 41
through Hope Navigators. 42
(2) Facilitate alignment and coordination of participating 43
state agencies. 44
(3) Break down traditional silos and establish a seamless 45
network of support systems, managed through one centralized 46
system comprised of private businesses, nonpr ofit entities, 47
state agencies, and faith -based organizations, to effectively 48
achieve desired outcomes and sustain long -term results including 49
greater self-sufficiency, community integration, and the 50
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
reduction of the participant's sole reliance on governmen t 51
programs. 52
Section 4. Section 23.43, Florida Statutes, is created to 53
read: 54
23.43 Definitions.—As used in this part, t he term: 55
(1) "Care plan" means a written document that contains 56
information provided by Hope Florida to participants and 57
develops and customizes tangible action steps and corresponding 58
timelines so that participants can achieve their immediate, 59
intermediate, and long -term goals. The care plan must also 60
address barriers by directly connecting participants to 61
community resources and op portunities. 62
(2) "Hope Florida partner network" means a group of 63
entities, including state agencies, public -private partnerships, 64
and nonprofit, private -sector, and faith-based organizations, 65
that is actively engaged in Hope Florida and provides goods or 66
services to directly support the participants' goals and address 67
identified barriers. 68
(3) "Hope line" means a statewide toll -free telephone 69
number that serves as a hotline for Hope Florida inquiries and 70
referrals for services. 71
(4) "Hope Navigators" means individuals that coordinate 72
care and assist participants and families seeking services 73
through Hope Florida. 74
(5) "Office" means the Hope Florida Office within the 75
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
Executive Office of the Governor. 76
(6) "Participant" means an individual who volunta rily 77
participates in Hope Florida. 78
(7) "Participating state agency" means a state agency 79
participating in Hope Florida at the direction of the Executive 80
Office of the Governor. 81
Section 5. Section 23.44, Florida Statutes, is created to 82
read: 83
23.44 Hope Florida Office; eligibility to participate; 84
duties.— 85
(1) The Hope Florida Office is created within the 86
Executive Office of the Governor. The director of the Hope 87
Florida Office shall be appointed by and serve at the pleasure 88
of the Governor. 89
(2) The office shall: 90
(a) Establish goals and strategies for Hope Florida. 91
(b) Facilitate coordination and collaboration among 92
participating state agencies to achieve these goals. 93
(c) Expand the Hope Florida partner network to meet the 94
needs of participants. 95
(d) Empower and assist residents in need to help identify 96
and achieve immediate, intermediate, and long -term goals and 97
remove barriers to goal achievement through the development and 98
implementation of care plans in partnership with Hope 99
Navigators. 100
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(e) Use Hope Navigators to assist participants in 101
identifying their personal goals, developing individualized 102
plans for achieving immediate, intermediate, and long -term 103
goals, identifying and addressing barriers, and actively 104
connecting participants to co mmunity resources and opportunities 105
to achieve their goals. 106
(f) Use participating state agencies to serve families 107
holistically in achieving self -sufficiency, maximizing community 108
integration, and building a prosperous future. Barriers to self -109
sufficiency may include the inability to: 110
1. Obtain stable employment; 111
2. Increase wages; 112
3. Obtain the necessary skills for greater independence, 113
education, or training; 114
4. Meet basic needs; or 115
5. Find stable housing. 116
(g) Refer participants requiring as sistance with 117
employment or vocational training to CareerSource Florida and 118
local workforce development boards or other entities to prepare, 119
train, and place the participants in meaningful employment. 120
(3)(a) To become a participant in Hope Florida, an 121
individual must be: 122
1. A legal resident of this state. 123
2. A citizen of the United States or a permanent resident 124
alien of the United States, as determined by the United States 125
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Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services. 126
3.a. At least 18 years of age; 127
b. If emancipated, at least 16 years of age; or 128
c. If not emancipated and under 18 years of age, 129
authorized to participate via written the consent of a parent or 130
guardian. 131
(b) Participation in Hope Florida is voluntary. 132
(c) Individuals may receive assistance by: 133
1. Calling the Hope Line; 134
2. Accessing the Hope Florida website; or 135
3. Being contacted or referred to the Hope Florida website 136
by a participating state agency, Hope Navigator, or community 137
organization. 138
(4) The office shall d esignate a state agency to, at a 139
minimum: 140
(a) Operate the Hope Line , which shall be available, at a 141
minimum, during business hours Monday through Friday. 142
(b) Develop and maintain a website for individuals to 143
connect with Hope Florida or to volunteer th eir time or donate 144
resources. 145
(c) Develop and maintain a Hope Florida case management 146
system that, at a minimum, conducts intake for Hope Florida 147
inquiries and referrals for individuals and families in need of 148
services. An electronic system shall be deve loped and maintained 149
by the state agency to provide, at a minimum, care planning 150
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functionality, closed -loop referrals, and tracking. 151
(d) Work with the Department of Commerce and CareerSource 152
Florida to maintain a portal for designating employers as Hope 153
Florida employers. The portal must be integrated with the 154
Department of Commerce's one -stop delivery system to ensure that 155
all Floridians served through Hope Florida have access to 156
employment and training services. 157
Section 6. Section 23.45, Florida Sta tutes, is created to 158
read: 159
23.45 Hope Navigators; care plans; Hope Florida partner 160
network; participating state agencies. — 161
(1)(a) Hope Navigators are resources that must be embedded 162
within communities and which serve as catalysts and a single 163
point of contact for participants. Hope Navigators must use 164
participant information to jointly develop and implement care 165
plans and navigate and actively leverage community -based 166
supports and opportunities to create a sustainable network of 167
supports to help partici pants achieve their goals, overcome 168
barriers, and realize their full potential. 169
(b) A care plan, at a minimum, must include action steps 170
and corresponding timelines to address immediate, intermediate, 171
and long-term goals and barriers to help participants achieve 172
their personal goals. Personal goals may include goals relating 173
to mentorship and coaching, life skills development, employment, 174
education attainment, community engagement and volunteerism, and 175
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addressing barriers such as the inability of particip ants to 176
meet their basic needs, transportation disadvantages, or 177
untreated medical and behavioral health conditions. 178
(2) The Hope Florida partner network must work to retain 179
existing partnerships and continuously develop new partnerships 180
to sustain the effectiveness of Hope Florida. 181
(3)(a) State agencies shall participate in Hope Florida at 182
the direction of the Executive Office of the Governor. At a 183
minimum, the following state agencies must participate in the 184
program: 185
1. The Department of Children an d Families. 186
2. The Agency for Persons with Disabilities. 187
3. The Department of Juvenile Justice. 188
4. The Statewide Guardian ad Litem Office. 189
5. The Department of Education. 190
6. The Agency for Health Care Administration. 191
7. The Department of Correc tions. 192
8. The Division of Emergency Management. 193
9. The Department of Veterans' Affairs. 194
10. The Department of Commerce. 195
11. The Department of Elderly Affairs. 196
(b) In order to use government resources more effectively 197
and efficiently, participatin g state agencies must use existing 198
resources and personnel, to the extent possible, to operate Hope 199
Florida. 200
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
(c) Other public-private partners may also participate in 201
Hope Florida at the direction of the office, including 202
CareerSource Florida and the Commission on Community Service. 203
Section 7. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law. 204