FFLA awards $33.9 million to 35 Florida legal aid organizations

FFLA awards $33.9 million to 35 Florida legal aid organizations

St. Michael’s Legal Center for Women and Children is the only new grantee this year

FFLA is distributing $33.9 million to 35 Florida civil legal aid clinics, up from the $7.7 million in grants the organization awarded to many of the same organizations last year.

The board of directors of FFLA, formerly known as The Florida Bar Foundation, approved the awards on December 8.

FFLA is also adding one new program to its award list this year: St. Michael’s Legal Center for Women and Children will receive a $169,555 grant in 2023.

“These IOTA grants will enable qualified legal aid providers to serve more clients, pay their legal aid staff salaries commensurate with their experience and increase the availability of pro bono lawyers,” said FFLA President Murray Silverstein.

The money originates from interest earned on attorney trust, or IOTA, accounts and the FFLA distributes the income to entities offering free civil legal representation to Floridians in need.

The IOTA program brought in more money this year as interest rates rose along with inflation. The Florida Supreme Court also changed the rule governing these accounts in March requiring attorneys to keep their clients’ money in higher-yield IOTA accounts. FFLA’s fiscal year runs July 1 to June 30.

“FFLA is pleased to announce that our grantees will benefit greatly from IOTA funding that has grown to four times more than last year’s funding under the 2023 amended IOTA rule,” Silverstein said.

From 2022-2023, FFLA collected $45.5 million in IOTA interest payments. In October, FFLA distributed $3.7 million of this total amount to 20 Florida organizations for pro bono support. It also distributed $800,900 to help fund Children’s Legal Services grants and, $712,162 as student loan forgiveness for civil legal aid lawyers.

The grantees include:

• Americans for Immigrant Justice — $2,428,340

• Bay Area Legal Services — $2,489,072

• Brevard County Legal Aid — $510,335

• Catholic Legal Services — $1,462,707

• Coast to Coast Legal Aid — $639,806

• Community Justice Project — $313,888

• Community Law Program — $339,111

• Community Legal Services — $2,832,356

• CABA Pro Bono — $564,998

• Dade Legal Aid — $988,747

• Florida Health Justice Project — $506,784

• Florida Justice Institute — $380,088

• Florida Legal Services — $1,647,048

• Florida Rural Legal Services — $1,564,527

• Florida’s Children First — $190,044

• Gulfcoast Legal Services — $1,424,264

• Heart of Florida Legal Aid Society — $239,468

• Innocence Project of Florida — $253,392

• Jacksonville Area Legal Aid — $1,895,816

• Lawyers for Children America — $253,392

• Lee County Legal Aid Society — $319,291

• Legal Aid Foundation of Tallahassee — $41,880

• Legal Aid Society of the Orange County Bar Association — $2,168,922

• Legal Aid Service of Broward County — $2,010,817

• Legal Aid Service of Collier County — $478,937

• Legal Aid of Manasota — $296,722

• Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County — $2,586,259

• Legal Services of Greater Miami — $929,108

• Legal Services of North Florida — $1,574,704

• Emerald Coast Legal Aid — $335,043

• Seminole County Bar Association Legal Aid Society — $510,335

• Southern Legal Counsel — $506,784

• St. Michael’s Legal Center for Women and Children — $169,555

• Three Rivers Legal Services — $764,978