Senate committee backs Taylor Hatch as DCF secretary after questioning on Hope Florida, forensic audits and parental‑rights cases

Taylor Hatch, nominated to lead Florida’s Department of Children and Families, told the Senate Committee on Ethics and Elections that her priorities are grounded in the department’s mission, data and lived experience, and she asked for continued legislative support to modernize benefit systems and expand community supports.

Hatch described steps the department has taken to reduce error rates in SNAP adjudication, implement a funding model (Senate Bill 2502) to increase transparency in community‑based care spending, expand peer‑support networks and deploy "Hope Navigators" — 143 positions she said were created from vacant roles to support participants in the Hope Florida program.

Why it matters: DCF oversees child‑welfare services, SNAP administration, and contracts with 20 community‑based care lead agencies (CBCs). Senators pressed Hatch about oversight of the Hope Florida Foundation, whether statutory and contractual safeguards were in place, and the department’s response to forensic audits that found operational and financial deficiencies at some CBCs.

Hatch told the committee that Hope Florida functions as a navigator and partner with local nonprofits, CareerSource and faith groups and that the program has helped 33,000 individual participants achieve “reduced reliance on public assistance.” She said the department has implemented contract amendments based on prior forensic audits and is planning further monitoring and, where necessary, additional forensic reviews.

Committee members probed whether the Hope Florida Foundation operated without required filings or bylaws in earlier years and asked whether legal counsel who previously advised the foundation should continue; Hatch said an independent financial audit and an ongoing state‑attorney investigation were in progress and declined to opine on the active investigation.

Public testimony included Kea (Kea) Buchanan, who said her family faces expedited termination of parental rights after a child was alleged to have injuries tied to a rare medical condition; Buchanan said efforts to contact Hatch’s office received no response. Foster‑care veteran Christy Lee described expedited termination proceedings involving medically complex children as "egregious" and urged safeguards.

Senators’ votes divided along lines of concern about oversight and parental‑rights protections versus deference to Hatch’s agency experience. After debate the committee voted to recommend Hatch to the full Senate for confirmation; committee members asked for follow‑up on repayments or remedial actions resulting from forensic audits and more detailed reporting on Hope Florida operations.

Next step: The committee’s favorable recommendation advances Hatch’s nomination to the full Senate for final confirmation; members requested additional reporting on CBC audits, any recovered funds, and the Hope Florida Foundation’s compliance history.

"We have 33,000 participants that have had reduced reliance on public assistance," Hatch said of Hope Florida. "Those individuals have had a reduced reliance on public assistance because they are better off."