About one in every six Central Floridians now relies on food stamps to subsist — a rate that has ballooned by nearly 185% since the start of the recession.
The Florida Department of Children and Families called the increase “staggering.”
In Orange County, the number is even higher, up 198%.
“And what’s most shocking is that these are largely people who haven’t applied for food stamps in the past,” said John Cooper, director of DCF’s 16-county central region. “This is the new face of public assistance.”
Read the