Grand Jury issues 'presentment' in Hope Florida scandal, but it is being kept under wraps
BREAKING NEWS
A Tallahassee grand jury that has been investigating the Hope Florida scandal has returned a ‘presentment’ — a type of report grand juries sometimes issue in public corruption investigations when their findings may not rise to the level of a crime.
The report, however, is not being released to the public until legal challenges play out in court.
This milestone in the case has surfaced thanks to investigative reporting by Michael Barfield of the Florida Trident, a news site published by the Florida Center for Government Accountability.
As the Trident reports:
The state grand jury was convened in October 2025 by State Attorney Jack Campbell, the top prosecutor in the Tallahassee area, after a Florida House committee investigation spearheaded by Republican Rep. Alex Andrade of Pensacola.
The dispute centers on allegations that the Hope Florida Foundation — a nonprofit created to support Hope Florida, First Lady Casey DeSantis’ signature welfare-assistance initiative — received a $10 million “donation” connected to a legal settlement between the State of Florida and Medicaid contractor Centene. The state had accused Centene of over billing Medicaid by $67 million.
After receiving the money from Centene, the Hope Florida Foundation wired two $5 million grants to Secure Florida’s Future and Save Our Society From Drugs. Those groups later routed millions to Keep Florida Clean, a political committee formed to oppose Amendment 3, the failed ballot measure to legalize recreational marijuana.
James Uthmeier, now Florida’s attorney general, is a central figure because he chaired Keep Florida Clean while he was Gov. Ron DeSantis’ chief of staff. DeSantis appointed Uthmeier attorney general weeks before the controversy became public in April 2025, after Ashley Moody left the post when she was appointed by DeSantis to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
After investigating the diversion of public funds, Andrade publicly accused Uthmeier of wire fraud and money laundering in connection with the flow of funds and forwarded his findings to Campbell. Both DeSantis and Uthmeier deny wrongdoing.
The Trident discovered the release of the grand jury presentment through a public records request. What does the presentment say? Why is it being kept secret? You may read the Trident’s entire account here:
About the reporter:
Michael Barfield is an award-winning investigative reporter who helps strengthen transparency and accountability across Florida. He assists reporters and the public with public records questions and requests, and he oversees and supports the organization’s litigation to enforce open government. He’s a frequent lecturer on Florida’s Public Records Act and Sunshine Law, serves on the governance committee of Investigative Reporters & Editors, and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists. Barfield is a former President of the ACLU of Florida, a life member of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and has twice been named by Sarasota Magazine as one of the most influential people in Sarasota. He lives in Sarasota with his wife, Iru.
About the Florida Center for Government Accountability:
The Florida Center for Government Accountability, a non-partisan 501(c)(3) organization, focuses its government accountability and journalistic efforts primarily on local governments, providing support and assistance for citizens and investigative journalists working to hold government accountable. All donations made to FLCGA are tax deductible. FLCGA is a member of the Institute for Nonprofit News — a nationwide network of independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan news organizations.
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Thank you for good reporting.
Desantis has made things disappear when it’s convenient. Surprised this is going forward.
More corruption by the Republican Maga minions. There's obviously fraud involved, easy to see that the money was diverted all over the fkn place for political gain. Very shady. Trump's corrupt DOJ also declined to do any investigation. The other shady deal is that when Marco Rubio was appointed to the White House and vacated his seat in January 21st 2025, there should have been a special election to replace that seat. But instead, Desantis appointed his Attorney General to the seat temporarily, to hold it for 2 years. Are you kidding, temporarily? 2 years is not temporary. 2 years is all representatives, get. There should have been a mandatory special election because the constituents don't get a representative of their choice for a two year period, that ain't right. Yeah, they were afraid they were gonna lose an R seat. Because not too long after that, a Democrat blew the trump backed Republican challenger for Miami mayor out of the water by almost 20% points. Rubio's district.