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DeSantis uses federal COVID-19 relief funds to send nearly 60,000 Florida families a $450-per-child check to 'offset the costs of rising inflation'

Katie Anthony

Thu, July 21, 2022 

• Thousands of Florida families will receive one-time checks for $450 per child starting this week.

• Gov. Ron DeSantis announced he set aside $35.5 million of COVID-19 relief funds to send out the checks.

• The stimulus is aimed at offsetting the costs of inflation, according to state officials.

Thousands of low-income Florida families are expected to receive relief checks to help offset inflation costs.

Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration on Thursday announced he's re-allocating some COVID-19 relief funds and sending $450 per child directly to struggling families in the state.

"This one-time payment assists families who are being affected by rising inflation and preparing to send their children back-to-school," Laura Walthall, spokesperson for the Florida Department of Children and Families, said in a statement to Insider.

The governor has set aside $35.5 million from the state's $1 billion American Rescue Plan Act to send out the checks, according to an announcement from Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis.

Eligible recipients include foster parents, relative and non-relative caregivers, and families recieving funds from the Florida Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program or Guardianship Assistance Program, according to Walthall.

Florida's Department of Children and Families said they expect around 59,000 families to receive the check, and, like other COVID-19 relief funds, there's no application.