We have all heard of the classic "welfare queen" stereotype. People who don't work but purchase steak and lobster at the grocery store with their EBT cards. Unfortunately, it's those cases that make it hard for anyone who really does need assistance. Now, Florida is taking the initiative to make sure that taxpayer dollars are going towards the items Floridians need that are truly everyday necessities
BREAKING: Florida becomes the first state to block welfare cash from being spent on tattoos, theme park tickets, video games, vapes, & other non-essential purchases.
— Polymarket (@Polymarket) August 27, 2026
On Thursday, Florida became the first state to bar recipients of the Temporary Cash Assistance program (TCA) from using those funds on purchases like tattoos and body piercings, theme park tickets, video games, vaping products, and other items that are not considered "basic needs." It is a move that the Trump administration hopes other states will adopt.
TCA is a program funded through the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, separate from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. However, individuals can be recipients of both programs. The Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families (ACF) lauded Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) for implementing "common sense restrictions" on "inappropriate, luxury, and non-essential purchases," in a letter to the governor obtained by Fox News Digital.
Gov. Ron DeSantis said of the new restrictions:
"Taxpayer-funded assistance should help families put food on the table, keep the lights on, purchase clothing, provide for their children and overcome barriers on the path toward independence. We will continue supporting Floridians who genuinely need assistance, while working to improve accountability and transparency so that these programs operate as intended."
The Sunshine State had already prohibited purchases of alcohol, as well as purchases at adult entertainment businesses, casinos, and commercial bingo establishments, but the new plan goes beyond merchant-specific restrictions to specific items purchased at any location. Other items in the updated plan include nicotine products and pornography, and...wait for it..."[p]sychic and fortune-telling services." Now that hurts.
Peak Florida man activities: spending your welfare check on a Jelly Roll tattoo at the vape themed amusement park https://t.co/fWOdE1lWcA
— Carry The Fire (@thovght_crimes) August 27, 2026
This isn't some SNAP recipient's first bout with government restrictions on what they can purchase with those federal funds. Back in April, Florida, along with several other states, implemented restrictions on sugary drinks, like soda and energy drinks, and candy. And even though the new rules may elicit a chuckle for things like tattoos and psychics, the fact that Florida is the first state to put restrictions of this kind on its welfare system is a bit of a head-scratcher. But the new plan may prompt other red states to overhaul their assistance programs to prevent taxpayers from supporting bad habits, and the purchase of luxury items that aren't snuck under the radar but flaunted.
Limits on SNAP, TCA, and TANF purchases won't get any easier for recipients. Should Republican Rep. Byron Donalds (FL-19) become the next governor of Florida, he will most likely continue many of the policies instituted by Gov. DeSantis. In other words, "Florida Man" will be on the hook for his own tattoo and psychic bills.
And the problem is??? https://t.co/UIBQzmh5vt
— Barry Cunningham (@barrycunningham) August 27, 2026
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