Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and First Lady Casey DeSantis came to the new Fruitland Park Elementary School campus today (April 30, 2025) to announce that Lake County Schools has been selected to pilot Hope Florida, an initiative that aims to connect students and families in need with helpful resources throughout the community.
"This is not really a program as much as it is a philosophy about how to use existing resources in state government to lift people up and put people in touch with resources that can lead them to a path of self-sufficiency," the governor said.
An employee at each school has been designated to serve as a "Hope Liaison" for their campus. When students or their families are in need, the liaison will connect them with a "Hope Navigator" who help identify the issue -- services for children with developmental disabilities, early intervention for children with special needs, family difficulties at home, etc. -- and then engage all sectors of the community to be part of the solution. The liaisons also will be able to connect local community providers, charities and faith-based organizations that are active within their school community with Hope Florida if they can help support those who reach out for assistance.
"In its simplest terms, Hope Florida is for somebody who needs help finding help," the First Lady said. "You can have the best resources or the best programs, but if you don't know that they are there, then what good are they? The Hope Florida model is an idea about how we can help people in need in society and look outside of government. How can we use the nonprofits and how can we embrace the faith-based community?"
Orange County was the first school district to identify and train Hope Liaisons. Now, Lake County Schools is the second.
"Student success isn't only driven by the classroom, but also by ensuring that students have the resources they need at home," Lake County Schools Superintendent Diane Kornegay said. "For this reason, Lake is happy to have a Hope Florida liaison in every school, a person equipped with the resources needed to ensure that every family, every child, has a path to success."
