HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Florida is fighting a backlog of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit claims, the state's version of the food stamp program.

To qualify, recipients must renew benefits every month, but since late last year that process has been delayed.

What You Need To Know

The federal program administered by the state’s Department of Children and Families is now flooded with so many claims, they aren’t being processed before deadlines expire, leaving families in need with no help.

Gov. Ron DeSantis responded to the backlog earlier in the week during a press conference in Dunedin saying, “We will talk to the secretary about that.  They've got massive amounts of stuff that’s going on that they're are processing across a whole wide range of issues,” the Governor said.  “But we want to get them processed, so we will work with them and see how they can expedite it.  It's important to people."

Since then, the Governor’s Office and Department of Children and Families have not responded to our requests for an update on what, if anything, the State is doing to resolve the backlog.

As the log jam of claims continues, non-profits like Feeding Tampa Bay are seeing more people seeking help.

The food bank says they are already at capacity because of inflation at the grocery store and gas pump, and now they are seeing people who normally wouldn’t be lined up for help, SNAP benefits families.

Thomas Mantz is President and CEO of Feeding Tampa Bay.

“There are government programs, benefit programs we can connect people to.  When all those work well families stay stable, right? We are able to make it through crisis,” Mantz said.  

Mantz talked to us about a perfect storm of issues families in need are facing, including the expiration of the early child tax credit, inflation, seasonal work for the holidays ending and now the SNAP delays.

“When some of those [programs] aren't working, it gets really wobbly for families and puts greater pressure on the household, and then greater pressure on organizations like ours."

Until the state resolves the SNAP backlog, those pressures will continue.

It took the State of Florida months to catch up on a similar backlog of unemployment benefits last year.