Florida became the first state in the nation to impose item-level restrictions on Temporary Cash Assistance benefits funded through the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. The updated state plan blocks recipients from using EBT cards to purchase tattoos, vaping products, video games, theme park tickets, pornography, and other non-essential items.

Governor Ron DeSantis announced the changes on August 24 in Tampa. The Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families determined Florida's amended TANF plan complete on Thursday in a letter to the governor. The letter described the measures as common-sense restrictions on inappropriate, luxury, and non-essential purchases.

The prohibited categories include tobacco, nicotine and vaping products, drugs and intoxicants, pornography, video games along with entertainment tickets and theme park admissions, tattoos and other luxury services such as spa treatments and tanning, and psychic or fortune-telling services. Florida already barred EBT use for alcohol and transactions at adult entertainment venues, casinos, and bingo halls.

The new rules build on the state's Healthy SNAP initiative launched in April, which prevents food assistance benefits from covering soda, energy drinks, candy, and ultra-processed desserts. Officials said the cash assistance changes align those food limits with the TANF program while adding broader non-food restrictions.

DeSantis stated that taxpayer-funded assistance should help families meet basic needs like food, utilities, clothing, and child care while promoting independence. The average TCA household receives about $250 per month, and adults face a lifetime limit of 48 months of benefits. The reforms aim to curb fraud and ensure funds support genuine need without reducing benefit amounts.

Trump administration officials praised the plan and expressed hope that other states will follow Florida's example. Twenty-seven states currently lack EBT location restrictions beyond federal minimums, and most do not impose item-level TANF purchase limits. Implementation will occur in phases, beginning with SNAP-authorized retailers.

The policy applies only to direct purchases and does not alter eligibility or benefit levels for qualifying families with children under 19 or certain pregnant women.