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One week after WPTV uncovered a local private school for kids with special needs did not receive its state funding for student scholarships fast enough, another Palm Beach County private school has come forward with a similar story.

TEQUESTA, Fla. — One week after WPTV uncovered a Palm Beach County private school for kids with special needs did not receive its state funding for student scholarships fast enough, another Palm Beach County private school has come forward with a similar story.

The schools are now all banding together to work with the state to make sure they get the money they need to function and keep their doors open.

Nancy Harvey is the head of school and owner at the Harvey Academy in Tequesta. Everything at the Harvey Academy is done with intention, from the floors, to the light blue walls and the natural light coming in. It’s all to make the students feel comfortable and safe.

"It's my life's work," Harvey said.

Her school caters to students with dyslexia, ADHD, and other learning disabilities. The school has 56 third through 12th graders and more than half of them are on state scholarships that help pay their tuition.

"This is the first year that I've really struggled with the miscommunication, lack of communication with Step Up," Harvey said. "I don't think the people I speak to are wonderful, I don't think it's their fault, they're just overwhelmed."

Step Up for Students is the organization contracted with the state of Florida to distribute the scholarship money. This year, they launched a new platform to manage the scholarships, and state law with HB 1 removed the income cap allowing thousands more students to participate in the voucher program.

"It's like a perfect storm, they are getting it from both sides and they are just overwhelmed and I feel for them," Harvey said. "But I also feel for my fellow heads of school that can't make payroll and can't pay their rent. I'm lucky I can, but not forever."

Right now, she has received $1,900 of the $89,000 she is owed in first quarter payments. She's made payroll and other payments from her own pocket.

"My personal funds, because I have faith the money will come, the DOE will pay, Step Up will pay," she said. "I just need to be able to carry the school until they do and I'm lucky that I can, but I can't do it forever."

Last week, Mary Jo Walsh, owner at Mountaineer's School of Autism in West Palm Beach told WPTV about not receiving her school's scholarship funds to the tune of $100,000. She then created the Florida Coalition of Private Schools, hosting a zoom meeting with dozens of other school leaders and learning they're not alone.

"It was a tremendous relief to know I can speak to someone else, that I can speak to someone else in my situation, because until then, I knew no one else in my situation," Harvey said.

Walsh said she has now received a fraction of her money. While it is not the full amount she's owed for the first quarter, it is enough to pay her mortgage and make payroll. She said she and other coalition members met with leaders from Step Up for Students on Friday to talk about how they can work together and resolve these issues. They talked about changes to state legislation to help the process, and how the coalition can work with the state to help the current situation.

Harvey said that is exactly what is needed.

"We need to come together. The DOE, Step Up and these heads of school, we are all on the same team to serve these children," she said. "We just need to communicate more effectively."

The coalition of more than 100 private school leaders plan to meet again at the end of the week to see where they all stand with their funding.

A spokesperson for Step Up for Students sent WPTV the following explanation for how payments have been made:

Out of the more than 79,000 students who have been awarded Family Empowerment Scholarships for Students with Unique Abilities (FES-UA) by Step Up For Students, more than 68,000 (86%) have been funded so far. Of those 68,000 funded FES-UA students, about 33,000 are enrolled in private schools; those not enrolled in schools already have access to their funds. The funds for enrolled students are deposited into students’ accounts, then schools must invoice us for their tuition.The remaining FES-UA students should have funds in their accounts this week. Schools can then invoice Step Up and Step Up can make the payments by the end of the following week for those invoiced this week.Schools began on 9/14 invoicing Step Up on FES-UA and Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options (FES-EO) students. Step Up has processed 69% of the FES-UA invoices received through 9/17. We have not processed those received 9/18-9/24. We are processing those this week.Most of those FES-UA invoices not processed that were received through 9/17 -- about 7,500 -- have some sort of issue preventing payment at the time. Step Up is currently working to resolve those issues.Roughly 95% of Florida Tax Credit Scholarship (FTC) students have received funds in their accounts and schools that have properly invoiced them should have most of their funds this week—many already have. The remaining 5% of FTC students will receive funds in their accounts this week and Step Up can pay schools after they are properly invoiced.Roughly 26% of Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options (FES-EO) students have received funds in their account and approximately 70% of those students have been invoiced by their schools; 55% of those students who have been invoiced properly by their schools should have their funds this week. Payments for most of the remaining 45% of those funded students should be paid by early next week. The remaining students should have funds in their accounts this week, and then Step Up can pay schools after they are properly invoiced.FES-UA student accounts this year were funded two weeks later than last year -- we funded them 8/29 last year and 9/13 this year. By this time last year we had paid tuition for 23,000 UA students and we’ve paid 18,000 so far this year, so we’re not that far behind.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A nonprofit located in Palm Beach County is facing tough economic times after serving the community for more than a decade.

The Osto Group says on its website that it meets the needs of those who have fallen on hard times by providing them with quality medical supplies and the necessities for living.

If the nonprofit can't rebound, people across the country could suffer and have to scramble to find these critical supplies.

One of the people they have helped is Jeff Davis, a cancer survivor who works at a farm supply store in northern Alabama.

"I had bladder cancer. It will be 10 years ago in November," Davis said. "I had to have a bag on my side."

"Was it difficult to get the things you needed while recovering from bladder cancer?" WPTV anchor Ashley Glass asked him.

"Yes," Davis replied.

That's where the Palm Beach County-based Osto Group has helped Davis in a big way.

Representatives of the nonprofit spoke to WPTV at one of our "Let's Hear It" community meet-ups.

Members said that even though they've been locally based for the last 15 years, they deliver critical ostomy supplies to people across the country who've had bowel surgery.

"How much has this group helped you?" Glass asked Davis.

"I can't say it in words," Davis said.

However, the Osto Group has encountered a huge snag.

"How are you guys staying afloat right now?" Glass asked members of the Osto Group.

"Well, actually, at this particular point, everything is put away in storage," Barbara Hymans, a founder of the Osto Group, said. "We suspended our operations."

They said they've been priced out of their warehouse located near West Palm Beach where they store all their outgoing supplies.

The nonprofit's rent is going up by 200%.

"Right now, we're not able to meet the needs of all the ostomates we've been helping over the years, and we're continually getting calls now from ostomates who've found out about us, but they are now in a lurch," Hymans said. "They don't know what to do."

"So, what is the hope?" Glass asked.

"Well, if you know what an ostomy is, you know how important it is that these people have their supplies, and our passion is to be able to make those products available to the people in need," Marian Grace, one of the founders of the Osto Group, said. "We need a handout right now just to get back in business.

They are now looking for an area where they can store these critical supplies.

That plea is echoed by Davis and thousands of more people who will need these supplies for the rest of their lives.

"They've been closed for a little while, and I can't wait for them to open back up," Davis said. "I hope they find them a place."

Three founders of the group have been using personal savings in recent weeks to help the Osto Group.

Click here to learn how you can help the nonprofit.

Copyright 2023 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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On Saturday, September 23, Lana Del Rey stops at the iThink Financial Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach as part of the ten-city tour the pop star announced in August. Fans came out in full force to support Del Rey, who released her ninth album, Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, earlier this year.

Del Rey delivered an 18-song set that ran through her deep music catalog, including earlier hits like "Blue Jeans," "Born to Die," and "Summertime Sadness," as well as newer offerings like "A&W," "The Grants," "Arcadia," and "Chemtrails Over the Country Club." Opening the show was singer-songwriter Zella Day. Read Alan Halaly's review of Lana Del Rey's performance here.

Photographer Michele Eve Sandberg attended last night's show to capture all the action. Check out the highlights from Lana Del Rey's performance below.

Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg

Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg

Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg

For a little over an hour, Lana Del Rey captivated the sold-out crowd at the iThink Financial Amphitheatre with her every move.

September 24, 2023

Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg

Lana Del Rey went through phases onstage Friday night.

She spent some time on the floor, pensive, singing "Pretty When You Cry" on top of a pile of her dancers. She later brought more energy, launching herself out into the audience on a swing adorned with her signature flowers to grace the audience with the sleepy melody of "Video Games."

Her fans, most of whom knew each and every song within the first three notes, dug out their white flower crowns from their 2010s Tumblr days to celebrate a memorable, sold-out performance at West Palm Beach's 20,000-seat iThink Financial Amphitheatre.

For Miamians who live 70 miles away from the venue, it was well worth the trip up the Turnpike.

View more photos of Lana Del Rey's performance here.

Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg

Del Rey hasn't had the best reputation as a live performer over the years, but her post-COVID return to South Florida was nothing short of astonishing. She transformed the venue into a makeshift church with a congregation of which only she could be the pastor. And religious experience it was.

It's been more than five years since Del Rey performed in South Florida. When she announced her sixth headlining tour in August, which was limited to ten shows, fans were surprised to see two Florida dates on the list.

And even though she didn't elect to perform her song "Florida Kilos" — a nod to the region's relationship with cocaine — Del Rey showed the state love, sharing her excitement to return to "close the Everglades, close my dad's home."

Opener Zella Day, a throwback for alternative music fans everywhere, got some scattered cheers despite her best efforts, mostly catching the audience's attention when she pointed out the show to come. She was able to throw in some newer songs, too, off her 2022 album, Sunday in Heaven.

Anticipation was at an all-time high after Day left the stage. Fans jumped out of their seats and screamed at the array of production crew members who came out to set the stage, somehow mistaking them for the main act.

Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg

The makeup of the audience wasn't quite the venue's usual clientele, which usually hosts the likes of country music stars and rock bands.

Some boyfriends, dads, and sugar daddies caught the show — and, trust, I saw them getting into it — but Friday's concert was an affair for the girls and the gays. And even though she probably couldn't see the extent of it from the stage, she later acknowledged this, thanking the girls for bringing their boyfriends and the boyfriends for sticking with it.

The concert was Del Rey's own version of an Eras Tour, taking the crowd through some of her most recognizable hits, all the way from her mainstream breakout songs "Summertime Sadness" and "Young and Beautiful" to newer hits "Norman Fucking Rockwell" and "Chemtrails Over the Country Club." Playing some of her more mainstream, earlier hits ensured even the boyfriends could sing along.

Del Rey's brand of soft, understated music can be tricky to adapt live. In addition to performing on the floor, she spent an entire song sitting, having a dancer tie her hair up.

Still, she packed in some flare in there — particularly with an abbreviated version of "A&W," which cued everyone into the fact that it was, indeed, time to dance like an "American whore."

Lana Del Rey brought up a sense of nostalgia during her performance at the iThink Financial Amphitheatre. View more photos of Lana Del Rey's performance here.

Photo by Michele Eve Sandberg

Putting up old videos of her that surely went viral on Tumblr back in the day during her performances of "Born to Die" and "Diet Mountain Dew" called forth a particular sense of nostalgia that only a member of Gen Z who grew up on the internet could feel.

It was a reminder that Del Rey's early music did serve as the backdrop for many of our years of teen and tweendom. And it was encouraging to see that she's raising a new generation of tweens and teens even younger than me who showed out in full force.

Del Rey appeared impressed with her Florida children toward the end, as she closed the night with a powerful rendition of "Did You Know There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd," led by her remarkable trio of backup singers.

"I'm going to remember this night," Del Rey said with a subtle smile, gazing out at a sea of phone cameras lit up and swaying to the melody of "Ocean Blvd." It's safe to say that everyone in the room will remember, too.

Setlist: - "Norman Fucking Rockwell" - "Arcadia" - "A&W" - "Young and Beautiful" - "Bartender" - "Chemtrails Over the Country Club" - "The Grants" - "Cherry" - "Pretty When You Cry" - "Ride" - "Stand by Your Man" (Tammy Wynette cover) - "Blue Jeans" - "Ultraviolence" - "Born to Die" - "Diet Mountain Dew" - "Summertime Sadness" - "Video Games" - "Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd"