Duval County

Florida requests waiver to allow families with SNAP benefits to order groceries online

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Friday, Governor Ron DeSantis asked the Florida Department of Children and Families to develop plans to implement an online purchasing program for Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP), recipients.

DCF requested a federal waiver to allow Florida to launch a pilot project so Florida families can buy groceries online with their EBT card, according to a DCF press release.

“After executing Executive Order 20-91 to limit outside activities to essential services, this commonsense policy approach is a no brainer,” said DeSantis. “Allowing Florida families to purchase groceries online instead of venturing into a public store is a sound practice during this public health emergency and yet another step that will help Florida flatten the curve.”

“I commend Governor DeSantis for his tireless efforts to ensure Florida’s most vulnerable population has the information, resources, and services needed to respond to and ultimately endure this public health emergency,” said DCF Secretary Chad Poppell.

According to DCF, current federal regulations prohibit SNAP recipients from buying groceries online with an EBT card. In response, DeSantis submitted a waiver to participate in the United States Department of Agriculture’s Online Purchasing Pilot, which ensures Floridians can access nutritious food while also practicing social distancing and self-quarantining to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

For more information regarding Florida’s benefit programs during this time, please contact the visit https://www.myflfamilies.com/covid19/access.shtml, login to your MyACCESS account or contact the customer call center at 850-300-4DCF.

Jessica May

Jessica May

Jessica May is an assignment editor and digital content producer for Action News Jax.