FOX 13 investigates wait list for Floridians with disabilities and $708 Million unspent

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Across Florida, thousands of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities are waiting for help. 

They're on a wait list for home and community-based services, and many have been waiting for years. State lawmakers responded by passing legislation to increase funding in 2024. 

But, FOX 13 found the legislature has already committed millions that have gone unspent for years. 

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"I read something in the Bible that says you should take care of the most vulnerable. And I don’t think they’re doing that currently," said JJ Holmes, a Floridian with disabilities who pressed state lawmakers for reforms.  

According to a legislative analysis, the state provides home and community-based services to around 35,000 residents with disabilities living at home. More than 21,500 others are on the wait list. 

And while JJ Holmes and others convinced state lawmakers to allocate more money this year, families on the wait list are concerned about the significant surplus state administrators have maintained for years. 

It’s more than $287 million state dollars, plus more than $421 million in matching federal funds parked in reserve. In total, that’s more than $708 million in reserve, while many with developmental disabilities and their parents struggle. 

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Florida’s Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD) collects and distributes the funds under this program and maintains the surplus. 

"I think one of the things we have to figure out is why the management over there decided that’s an important thing to have," said Sen. Jason Brodeur, (R) Seminole/Orange. 

Democratic State Representative Kelly Skidmore ties it to revolving-door management.  

"You’ve had four secretaries in four years. I mean the turnover is great. I think that has a lot to do with those funds not being expended," she said. "You get somebody who comes in, and they’re trying to figure things out. By the time they figure half of it out, they leave and somebody new comes in."

Taylor Hatch is the current head of APD who started in February 2023. She said the agency is holding onto that reserve for people they’ve already committed to serving who may have growing needs. 

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"So we don’t overextend ourselves, and we are planning for those future needs," she said. "So those are the funds that again tie to the people who are enrolled."

Former APD Executive Director Jim DeBeaugrine noted the state projects what those who are already enrolled will need, and the legislature commits recurring funds to continue to serve them. 

"That should already be in their base budget," he said. "If they ever have to go to that well, they’ve got a problem."

That $708 million could clear a majority of the backlog for a year or longer. But, it's not recurring money, so maintaining those services would require more money from the legislature.

"Given the need, I would say they should consider using it to provide relief, even if it’s one-time relief," said DeBeaugrine. 

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