Senior centers, meals-on-wheels programs and other services benefiting South Florida’s less well-to-do elderly residents won’t be using as much state money as the Legislature intended, due to vetoes Gov. Ron DeSantis issued this week.
Of more than $95 million DeSantis slashed from local South Florida projects this week — part of $1.6 billion in total vetoes in the coming $117.6 billion state budget — more than $2.2 million will affect the area’s low-income seniors.
The cuts went both and right and left; of the seven vetoes impacting South Florida seniors, there were just about as many Republican sponsors of the projects as there were Democrats. However, Miami-Dade saw twice as many vetoes as Broward, which had twice as many as Palm Beach County.
Of note, while funding was removed for specific seniors-specific projects in the region, DeSantis increased overall spending on Florida’s elderly residents, adding $7.5 million for a total of $131 million to increase services through the Community Care for the Elderly and Home Care for the Elderly programs, and $3 million more for a total of $73.1 million to serve additional seniors through Florida’s Alzheimer’s Disease Initiative.
Here’s a look at what each South Florida county lost in seniors-specific appropriations this year.
Miami-Dade County
The biggest-ticket appropriation meant for seniors to lose funding under the Governor’s veto pen was a $600,000 set-aside for the construction of a multipurpose, weather-protected outdoor space for economically disadvantaged seniors enrolled in West Miami’s hot meals program.
At the to-be-built facility, which West Miami would own and operate, seniors would have room for exercise classes, health education and social activities, while the city would be able to use the space to ease overcrowding during meal services.
Miami Republican Sen. Ileana Garcia and Coral Gables Republican Rep. Demi Busatta filed matching appropriation requests for the shovel-ready project, which received $300,000 from the state last year and will receive $200,000 from a separate state funding pool in the coming budget.
DeSantis also vetoed $500,000 meant for the Age Well program, which provides nursing, therapy, social work and physician home visits for low- to moderate-income seniors who are not eligible for long-term care funding, according to matching appropriation requests by Doral Republican Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez and Hialeah Republican Rep. Alex Rizo.
The program is administered by Good Will Enterprises Group Corp., a Coral Gables-based nonprofit that says it serves up to 1,500 seniors, reducing hospital admissions and readmissions by up to 50% while improving health and independence.
The Governor canceled another $200,000 the Legislature approved from the Department of Elderly Affairs for a faith-based meals program seeking to expand its services, according to appropriation requests by Miami Republican Sen. Alexis Calatayud and Homestead Democratic Rep. Kevin Chambliss.
The initiative, led by the Second Baptist Church of Richmond Heights, today operates through a network of more than 40 member churches across the county, which service economically disadvantaged, homeless and developmentally disabled seniors.
The funding, if it hadn’t been cut, would have been split evenly between paying for staffing increases and food.
Another $50,000 in state funds were cut from a meal delivery initiative for elderly and disabled senior dialysis patients, administered by the nonprofit Josefa Perez de Castano Kidney Foundation in Miami.
The program, according to appropriation requests by Garcia and Rizo, delivers no-cost meals to approximately 200 low-income residents, addressing the heightened risk of malnutrition associated with kidney disease.
Broward County
The biggest-ticket item concerning seniors that DeSantis cut in Broward was a $448,000 earmark to help fund at-home transition care for elderly residents whose needs aren’t covered by long-term care Medicaid, Medicare or other insurance.
The initiative, called the “Coming Home Senior Hospital Transition Program,” is administered by Broward-based nonprofit United HomeCare.
According to matching appropriations requests by Miami Gardens Democratic Sen. Shevrin Jones and Hollywood Democratic Rep. Marie Woodson, the program provides 90-day episodic in-home care. Services include nursing assessments, case management, personal care services and home-delivered meals to support safe recovery and help vulnerable older adults maintain independence while reducing preventable hospital readmissions and emergency room visits.
The Governor also nixed $250,000 meant for an expansion of the Senior Activity Center in Pompano Beach — a quarter of the funds originally sought by Boca Raton Democratic Sen. Tina Scott Polsky and Oakland Park Democratic Rep. Mitch Rosenwald.
The project is now in a planning phase, with the city setting aside $1 million in local funds for it this year. When finished, it will increase the facility’s capacity to serve more than 325 registered members — a 25% increase from the current 260 members — and enable expanded fitness, wellness, educational enrichment and social programming for 55 and older residents living at or below the poverty level.
Construction is scheduled to begin in August and run for a year.
Palm Beach County
The home county of President Donald Trump, who turned 80 this month, saw just one senior-focused appropriation die by DeSantis’ pen this year: a $200,000 set-aside intended for the modernization of a senior center in the city of South Bay.
Matching requests by Senate Democratic Leader Lori Berman and Palm Beach Gardens Republican Rep. Meg Weinberger, who initially sought $400,000 for the project, say the funds would have gone toward upgrading community spaces, modernizing electrical and HVAC systems and integrating new technology and safety features.
The requests included no mention of local funding and show the project is in the planning phase, with design and construction to commence afterward.
Services offered at the modernized facility, Berman’s request said, would include “nutrition education, wellness screenings and health education programs, and transportation assistance to help seniors access medical appointments and essential destinations.”
“In addition,” the request said, “technology assistance will be available to help seniors learn to use computers, tablets, and online communication tools, promoting digital inclusion and connectivity.”
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