Florida grand jury finds DeSantis administration misused $10 million in Medicaid funds

A leaked Florida grand jury report reveals that Governor Ron DeSantis' administration misappropriated $10 million from a Medicaid settlement with Centene Corporation. The funds, originally meant to provide health insurance for low-income children, were instead routed through First Lady Casey DeSantis' charity, Hope Florida, and funneled into PACs to defeat a 2024 marijuana legalization ballot initiative. No criminal charges were filed due to a lack of evidence regarding who authorized the transfer, sparking intense political fallout.

Medicaid settlement fund diversion

• ▪Centene Corporation offered to pay a $67,048,611 settlement to Florida in February 2023, which was later split on September 27, 2024, to send $10 million to the Hope Florida Foundation
• ▪A Florida grand jury report concluded that Governor Ron DeSantis' administration misappropriated $10 million from a state Medicaid settlement with Centene Corporation
• ▪The $10 million diverted from the Centene Corporation Medicaid settlement was originally intended to help low-income children in Florida receive health insurance

Hope Florida charity operations

• ▪Hope Florida is a charity launched in 2021 by Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis to connect low-income families with local churches and aid groups
• ▪The Hope Florida Foundation, which is the fundraising arm of Hope Florida, received the $10 million settlement transfer before the funds were moved to political groups

Anti-marijuana campaign funding

• ▪The $10 million was split equally, with $5 million going to Secure Florida's Future and $5 million to Save Our Society From Drugs, before being used to bankroll the Keep Florida Clean PAC
• ▪The $10 million transferred to Hope Florida was funneled into political action committees to oppose a 2024 Florida ballot initiative that would have legalized recreational marijuana
• ▪The 2024 Florida marijuana legalization ballot measure failed to pass after falling just short of the required 60% supermajority

Grand jury accountability gaps

• ▪The grand jury report noted that James Uthmeier, Governor Ron DeSantis' chief of staff at the time, was in a position of authority over the settlement and his Keep Florida Clean PAC was the prime recipient
• ▪Then-Attorney General Ashley Moody authorized her chief deputy, John Guard, to sign the settlement agreement diverting the $10 million to the Hope Florida Foundation
• ▪The Leon County grand jury declined to file criminal charges because no state officials took responsibility or remembered who authorized the $10 million transfer
• ▪Governor Ron DeSantis did not dispute the legitimacy of the leaked grand jury report but insisted no laws were broken and threatened consequences for the leaker

Political reelection races

• ▪James Uthmeier and Ashley Moody, who are both seeking reelection, dismissed the renewed interest in the grand jury report as a politically motivated hoax and denied knowing how the funds would be spent
• ▪Democratic nominee for governor David Jolly called for the grand jury investigation to be reopened following the leak of the report

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