Florida's $4 billion school voucher program is back in the news thanks to "myriad accountability challenges," including allegations of fraud, overspending and lack of accountability.

According to the Tallahassee Democrat, a state audit of Florida's Family Empowerment Scholarship found issues including "millions of dollars in overspending, with no way to effectively recoup the funds; lack of oversight; and delays in scholarship payments." That includes between $1 million to $2 million that went to scammers, who created fraudulent accounts for fictitious students in order to receive funds. 

To try to rectify the problem, the Florida Senate just passed SB 318, "Educational Scholarship Programs," which would create fall and spring scholarship application windows; require the use of a single application for all scholarship programs; require more than one form of proof of residency, a the child's birth certificate; cross-check scholarship applications against school district enrollments; assign scholarship recipients an ID; confirm student eligibility prior to each scholarship payment; and reduce Scholarship Funding Organizations' administrative fees from 3 percent to 2 percent.

In Sarasota County, state-funded scholarships have cut enrollment in public schools, which decreases state funding for each district, affecting teachers, administrators and students. Here's the local picture. 

7,186

Number of students in Sarasota County who are receiving FTC or FES vouchers.

39

Number of Sarasota County private schools that accept FES and FTC vouchers.

40 percent

Rise in the number of students using an FES voucher for the 2024-2025 school year (4,585 students) compared to the 2023-2024 school year (3,266 students).

1.3 percent

Overall increase in state funding to public schools in the 2025-2026 budget, most of which is earmarked for increasing teacher salaries.

5 percent

Decrease in funding for Sarasota’s Florida Education Finance Fund, the primary funding source for public schools.

$45 million

Sarasota County taxpayer dollars going to private school vouchers in the 2025-2026 school year.

$2.5 million

Funding shortfall for the district attributed to Florida’s vouchers.

300

Approximate decline in the number of students attending public district schools in Sarasota County in the 2025 school year.

222

Gain in charter school enrollment since 2024-2025.

14

Number of charter schools in Sarasota County.

82 percent

Florida students receiving vouchers who are attending religious schools.

Source: sarasotacountyschools.net, floridaschoolchoice.org