A Florida grand jury has concluded that Gov. Ron DeSantis’s administration “misappropriated” $10 million from a Medicaid settlement by directing the money to the Hope Florida Foundation, an organization closely associated with first lady Casey DeSantis.
According to a sealed grand jury report obtained by CBS News Miami, jurors determined that the transfer was “part of a sophisticated scheme to fund political activities.”
The $10 million originated from a $67 million settlement involving Centene, Florida’s largest Medicaid contractor. As part of the arrangement, $10 million was directed to Hope Florida in the form of a “donation.”
The money was purportedly intended to support what was described as “to be a community-based welfare program that serves as a cost-efficient alternative to government assistance programs.”
Instead, the grand jury found that the funds ultimately went to organizations involved in efforts to defeat a 2024 Florida ballot initiative that sought to legalize recreational marijuana.
According to the report, the $10 million was routed through the charity affiliated with Hope Florida before eventually being transferred to two nonprofit organizations that participated in the campaign opposing the marijuana measure.
Despite determining that the taxpayer money had been improperly used, the grand jury said it did not uncover enough evidence to pursue criminal charges against any individual.
“Despite our finding that the money was misappropriated, we find insufficient evidence to charge anyone criminally,” the report concluded. “Nobody will take responsibility for deciding the $10 million of taxpayer money would go to Hope Florida… or had any memory of who made it.”
The report also raised questions about the role of Sen. Ashley Moody, who was serving as Florida attorney general at the time. Although Moody was not called to testify before the grand jury, the report said she knew about the plan to redirect the money and “authorized” her then-chief deputy, John Guard, to execute the settlement agreement.
Moody, who was appointed by DeSantis to fill the Senate seat vacated by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, is seeking election to the seat this year.
The grand jury also examined the involvement of DeSantis chief of staff James Uthmeier, concluding that he was “in a position of authority over those involved in settling.”
“Testimony identified him as having involvement in directing the money after it went to Hope Florida. Testimony also revealed that Mr. Uthmeier’s Keep Florida Clean, a political action committee, was the prime recipient of the majority of the $10 million taxpayer funds,” the grand jury wrote.
DeSantis has previously rejected scrutiny surrounding Hope Florida, characterizing investigations launched in 2025 as a politically motivated and “manufactured” effort to damage both him and his wife.
“It was all political,” DeSantis told reporters in 2025. “People smear what they fear. If Hope Florida represents a threat to their world view, they’re going to go after it.”
{Matzav.com}
