FFLA distributes $119 million in IOTA funds to 35 legal aid organizations
Ashley Sybesma: 'The additional resources have transformed their capacity to meet community needs, serve more clients, and provide comprehensive legal services that ensure thousands more families who would otherwise face legal challenges alone receive representation.'
The Board of Directors of FFLA have approved the distributed $119.6 million in Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts (IOTA) funds to 35 legal aid organizations for 2026, delivering an average 39% funding increase aimed at expanding access to justice for low-income Floridians.
“We are immensely proud of the work that IOTA grantees are doing with increased funding,” FFLA President Ashley N. Sybesma said. “The additional resources have transformed their capacity to meet community needs, serve more clients, and provide comprehensive legal services that ensure thousands more families who would otherwise face legal challenges alone receive representation."
FFLA also used $3,675,000 in IOTA funds for 11 Pro Bono Support and Enhancement grants in October.
Legal aid organizations provide legal services to Floridians who cannot afford a lawyer to help them with issues such as eviction, domestic violence, divorce, immigration, and natural disaster relief.
Under the Florida Supreme Court’s IOTA rule, interest accumulated on lawyers’ short-term trust accounts is donated to the IOTA program to fund legal assistance for the poor. With approval from the Supreme Court in October, FFLA also placed an additional $96 million of IOTA collections in a reserve for future distribution to qualified grantee organizations. The goal of FFLA’s reserve is to hold a balance that can be used to fund grantees at consistent levels even when interest rates fluctuate, affecting the amount of collections year to year. Steady levels of funding allow grantees to plan more effectively for the future, according to FFLA.
