TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Florida will rejoin the Southern Alliance of States electronic benefits transfer alliance after intense industry lobbying and the clearing of legal hurdles.
area, should begin by October, with two more planned in 1997 for Jacksonville and Miami, said Bruce Congleton, president of the Florida Food Industries Association here.
Florida's Health and Rehabilitative Services secretary suspended the state's involvement in SAS earlier this year, saying the agency did not have legal grounds to contract with Citibank. A recent ruling by the state attorney general, however, gave HRS the approval it needed.
The decision to rejoin SAS was also influenced by retailer organization lobbying, especially multistate retailers who could have had incompatible EBT systems in their stores if Florida embarked on its own program.