By J.C. Bruce
The grand jury report into the Hope Florida scandal is giving Democrats ammunition to use against their Republican rivals in the upcoming midterm election.
And the Dems have come out swinging.
“This is blatant corruption,” Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried said. “And for 30 years, Republicans have controlled this state, and somewhere along the way, they started acting like taxpayer money was theirs to spend, state government was theirs to exploit, and nobody had the right to question them.”
She added:
“Authoritarianism can look like leaders abusing government power, evading accountability, and treating public institutions like their own. That’s exactly the warning signs we are seeing here.”
David Jolly, the Democratic nominee for governor, also weighed in:
“The scheme defunded healthcare services for poor children to instead advance the political agenda of Gov. Ron DeSantis,” Jolly’s campaign said in a prepared release. “With key leaders in the scheme refusing to answer questions, and no one held accountable, the investigation must be reopened.”
Jolly added: “As governor, I’ve committed to doing that, and I’m asking Byron Donalds to commit to doing the same. The people of Florida deserve transparency and deserve to know if those highest in power in government in Florida indeed laundered money, healthcare money, healthcare funds intended for families and young people.”
Donalds is the Republican nominee who, to be clear, does not appear to have had any role in the misappropriation of $10 million in Medicaid funds that should have gone to needy children but were secretly funneled to political projects of DeSantis and laundered through his wife, Casey’s, Hope Florida charity.
Other Republicans—including those running for election this fall—do not have such clean hands.
Appointed U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody, who will be on the Nov. 3 ballot to keep the job given to her by DeSantis, was the state’s attorney general when the Medicaid fund switcheroo was pulled off. James Uthmeier was, at the time, DeSantis’ chief of staff, but soon after was appointed attorney general to fill in for Moody. He’s also running to keep his appointed post.
Former State Sen. Jose Javier Rodriguez, the Democrat on the fall ballot who will face Uthmeier, is calling the attorney general a “criminal.”
“I’ve been traveling the state talking about how we’re going to return the Attorney General’s office to the people, refocus on priorities that are going to make people’s lives better, tackling crime, costs, and corruption,” Rodriguez said. “My opponent is a criminal. He’s a criminal who should resign. He should come clean and turn himself in.”
As the Florida Phoenix reported:
“Nobody will take responsibility for deciding the $10 million of taxpayer money would go to Hope Florida,” the grand jury report reads. “This decision was the original misappropriation, and no witness would take responsibility for making the decision or had any memory of who made it.”
And because “virtually everyone involved is a lawyer and acted on the advice of other lawyers,” the grand jury concluded that fact would pose an “impediment to criminal prosecution.”
Rodriguez blamed Uthmeier.
“James Uthmeier was the person with authority here. It was his [political] committee. He directed the money. He directed those involved. And you know, Floridians need leaders who are going to clean house in Tallahassee. To clean house means to break down that wall of silence, the conspiratorial corruption that we have in Tallahassee, that this grand jury report lays out,” Rodriguez said.
State Rep. Angie Nixon, who will face Moody in the U.S. Senate contest, said:
“Think about this: Ashley Moody stole $10 million from children in Florida. Everyone involved in this, Ashley Moody included, should resign. They should resign. Enough is enough.”
Nixon says she is going to file complaints against Uthmeier, Moody, and others with the Florida Bar.
In less than 10 weeks, voters will have their chance to express their dissatisfaction as well.
Thanks for your support
Since this newsletter was launched a year ago, hundreds of thousands of subscribers have joined the Tropic Press community, making this one of the fastest-growing publications of its kind.
Our goal is to reach as many voters as possible so we can increase engagement in the political process and, hopefully, raise interest in voting this coming November.
If you are encountering this newsletter for the first time, please consider subscribing. If you are already a subscriber, consider upgrading your subscription to help this work continue.
Regardless, every person you share this with is one more potential vote for change.
Please share and help us make Florida — and America — better for all of us.
Thanks.
J.C. Bruce
There wasn’t just ONE scandal—DeSantis illegally misappropriated hundreds of millions of federal funds over the 8 terrible years Florida suffered his jackboot fascism and racism! This is just the tip of the iceberg! For example, the $400,000,000 he spent of public funds on a tent concentration camp against the will of the tribe who own that sensitive land! Florida taxpayers are OUT that $400Million—Trump has refused to reimburse Lil Ron the Racist!
If you are in public service you have to have the highest integrity. If proven guilty, these individuals are the worst of the worst, no integrity, no honesty, a bunch of thugs.