A state grand jury found the DeSantis administration “misappropriated” taxpayer money from a $67 million Medicaid settlement after $10 million from the agreement was “donated” to Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis’ Hope Florida charity.
“Within days, the $10,000,000 was transferred to other organizations for political purposes because money was spent on a political campaign and went to the Republican Party of Florida,” the sealed grand jury report states.
What was meant to provide resources for a community-based welfare program was instead funneled into two political action committees (PACs), which used the funds to also lobby against the 2024 Florida Amendment 3, Marijuana Legalization ballot Initiative.
The $67 Million Settlement
In early 2023, Health Care company Centene Corporation agreed to settle for $67 million over its Pharmacy Benefits Management Structure. In late 2024, Florida officials agreed that the State of Florida would receive just over $57 million, with the rest going to Hope Florida.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, the then General Counsel to the Governor, reportedly advised the Executive Director of “Save our Society from Drugs” to request a $5 million grant from Hope Florida. The same advice was given to the Executive Director of “Secure Florida’s Future.”
After receiving the grants, the money was routed to Keep Florida Clean, the PAC chaired by AG Uthmeier, which used it against the Amendment 3 ballot.
Jury States They Can't Hold Anyone Accountable
“Despite our finding that the money was misappropriated, we find insufficient evidence to charge anyone criminally,” the jury wrote. “Nobody will take responsibility for deciding the $10 million of taxpayer money would go to Hope Florida.”
“While we can’t prove who is responsible, we can plainly see that taxpayer money was misused for political purposes and we would like to see changes made to prevent this from happening again,” the jury affirmed.
