4
Currents
August 2016
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"because they both improve healthy food access by
bringing fresh food to communities that need it the
most, and bring jobs to those communities as well."
The Food Trust, a nonprofit founded 20 years ago
to promote healthier communities through better
food, helped launch the nation's first such project, in
Philadelphia, in 2004. There are healthy food financing programs in about 12 cities and states, Koprak
said, and both Ohio and Alabama have passed initiative legislation within the past year.
Federal healthy food financing dollars have been
available since 2010. And some states have created
their own financing pools, such as what Florida is
now considering.
Florida's bill calls for $5 million in state seed
money, with the project to be re-evaluated after
three years, Bean said. The initiative would be overseen by a third-party nonprofit; with loan repayments replenishing the fund so more stores can be
financed.
Scott Sporte, chief lending officer at Virginiabased Capital Impact Partners, said initiative programs nationwide have created
jobs and other economic opportunities.
Federally subsidized meals on
wheels programs in Palm Beach
and Broward have between 600
and 700 people on their waiting
lists.
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Florida's public school students, starting in 2017-18, will be
able to attend any school in the
state that has space available.
Starting July 1, high school
athletes have immediate eligibility
when transferring schools, and it
will subject charter schools to
more accountability and a new
formula for receiving capital dollars. With a quarterly financial
report, in an anemic effort to allay
the rogue profiteering of Charter
School Operators.
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