Officials: 2.5 million Floridians on food stamps

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- More than 2.5 million Floridians are on food stamps, up from three years ago where 1.2 million residents received assistance.

That's according to records kept by the Department of Children and Families, which administers the program.

DCF Secretary George Sheldon told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel Tuesday that Florida's food stamp rolls grew the fastest in the nation since 2007. Florida's food stamp numbers hit a low in April 2007, when the state paid out $109.9 million to 1.2 million residents. Back then, 6.4 percent of the state population was on food stamps.

To qualify, Floridians must make 133 percent of the federal poverty level or less. For a family of four, that's just under $29,000 a year.

Maximum monthly benefits are $200 for one person and $668 for a four-member family.