Hope Florida scandal may be moving to its next stage as media reports say a grand jury will begin interviewing witnesses

$10 million was allegedly routed through the foundation, run by Gov. Ron DeSantis' wife, Casey, and used to defeat a state referendum on legalizing recreational marijuana

Casey and Ron DeSantis

Prosecutors will be convening a grand jury next week as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into the Hope Florida Foundation scandal, according to multiple media reports.

Some prominent names are involved: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. His wife, Casey, who runs the foundation. And James Uthmeier, the governor’s former chief of staff who DeSantis recently appointed state attorney general.

In essence, here are the allegations, which have received enough publicity the scandal now has its own Wikipedia page:

The Hope Florida scandal is an ongoing political scandal that arose after the Hope Florida Foundation, founded by First Lady Casey DeSantis, received $10 million of the $67 million legal settlement between Centene Corporation and the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration. Hope Florida diverted the settlement proceeds to Secure Florida’s Future and Save our Society from Drugs. These nonprofits then made contributions to Keep Florida Clean, a political action committee (PAC) with ties to Governor Ron DeSantis.

Keep Florida Clean lobbied against passage of Amendment 3, a 2024 ballot initiative to legalize recreational marijuana. The proposal was supported by 56 percent of Florida voters but fell short of the needed 60 percent to pass. And it is reasonable to ask whether that cash infusion improperly influenced the election outcome.

So, the shorthand is that $10 million recovered by the state from a company that had overbilled taxpayers for Medicaid charges, was quietly moved around from charity to charity until it ended up being used to propagandize voters deciding on a statewide public policy question that narrowly lost.

Hope Florida has, in fact, acknowledged “lapses in reporting procedures,” including missing federal tax reports. The question to be settled is: Was this illegal?

Earlier this year, the Republican-controlled Florida House of Representatives opened an investigation into the accusations of money laundering and wire fraud but then stopped its investigation after Hope Florida and the other nonprofits refused to continue cooperating, according to various sources.

Shortly thereafter, State Attorney Jack Campbell of the Second Judicial Circuit Court, opened a criminal investigation.

State Rep. Alex Andrade, a Republican from the Panhandle, has alleged that Uthmeier, while serving as DeSantis’ chief of staff, told two the non-profit groups, Secure Florida’s Future, and Save our Society from Drugs, to request money from Hope Florida Foundation, according to various sources.

Hope Florida Foundation, in turn, sent $5 million grants to each of the groups, which in turn forwarded funds to the political committee Keep Florida Clean, run by Uthmeier. Uthmeier has claimed he was not involved, according to media reports.

But when prosecutors convene grand juries after months of investigation, it’s reasonable to believe things are getting real.

Oh, and if “Medicaid overbilling” has a familiar ring to it, it’s because this is hardly the first time this sort of thing has been in the headlines.

Rick Scott, before he served as Florida’s governor and before he was elected to the U.S. Senate, had his name connected with a scandal involving not only Medicaid, but Medicare and other federal health programs as well.

He was the chief executive officer of the hospital company Columbia/HCA in the 1990s that pleaded guilty to 14 felonies and paid what at the time was a record $1.7 billion fine to settle the fraud case.

Scott was forced to resign but was never charged with a crime.

What do you think? Share your views by clicking on the COMMENTS link at the end of this newsletter. Thanks!

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Today is …

World Day Against the Death Penalty sponsored by a coalition of 38 human rights organizations. So far in 2025, 34 Death Row inmates have been executed in the United States. Florida leads the pack, far and away, with 13.

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Alex Andrade

Quote of the day

“It is readily apparent that a culture of neglect, incompetence and entitlement exists within the halls of the governor’s office at this time. When the executive exhibits no care or concern for the misuse of taxpayer dollars, we as the Legislature have an obligation to everyday Floridians to be even more vigilant.”

—State Rep. Alex Andrade

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Florida factual

James Uthmeier was appointed Florida’s attorney general by DeSantis in February 2025. He succeeded Ashley Moody, whom DeSantis appointed to the U.S. Senate following the retirement of Marco Rubio to become U.S. secretary of state.

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J.C. Bruce, journalist and author, is the founder of Tropic Press. He holds dual citizenship in the United States of America and his native Florida. When he’s not blogging, he’s in training for the Florida Man Underwater Ping Pong Championships. Forward this email to your friends. They will love you for it.

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