A sealed Leon County grand jury report found taxpayer money from a Medicaid settlement was redirected into political activity, while concluding the evidence did not establish who could be charged criminally.
A Florida grand jury concluded that $10 million from a Medicaid settlement was misappropriated after it was sent to the Hope Florida Foundation, a charity connected to first lady Casey DeSantis. But the panel did not bring criminal charges, saying it lacked sufficient evidence to identify the person or people legally responsible.
The report, completed in January and later published by CBS Miami, examined part of Florida’s settlement with health care company Centene. According to the grand jury, the money was intended as taxpayer reimbursement connected to a program serving lower-income children, but was routed through Hope Florida and ultimately used by political committees that opposed Florida’s 2024 marijuana-legalization ballot measure.
The grand jury said the available testimony left it unable to establish individual criminal liability. It nevertheless found that public money had been used for political purposes and recommended that Florida lawmakers tighten rules governing state funds and oversight of organizations that receive them.
The report said James Uthmeier, who was Gov. Ron DeSantis’ chief of staff during the settlement negotiations and is now attorney general, held a position of authority over people involved in the deal. It also said then-Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office knew of plans to direct money to Hope Florida. Uthmeier and Moody have denied wrongdoing; Moody said her office did not know how Hope Florida or other groups would spend the money.
DeSantis did not challenge the report’s authenticity but said no laws had been broken and criticized the leak of the sealed document. Democrats, including gubernatorial nominee David Jolly, have called for the investigation to be reopened, giving the long-running Hope Florida controversy renewed prominence ahead of Florida’s November elections.
