ORLANDO, Fla. — For nearly 2.5 million Florida residents, food stamp benefits help put dinner on the table and nutritious food in the fridge.
But for all the people who are helped by the program, there are still hundreds of people who get caught taking advantage of it.
In 2016, the Florida Department of Children and Families says more than 1,500 people were charged with defrauding the food stamp program to the tune of about $6 million.
Earlier in 2017, an Ocala store owner was accused of paying cash for food stamps, ultimately taking an alleged $1.7 million from taxpayers.
“I feel that it’s wrong that other people take advantage of it when other people are really in need of it,” resident Youdelkis Tellez said.
Cox Media Group
