The office of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is vigorously defending itself and First Lady Casey DeSantis against mounting allegations concerning a $10 million donation to the Hope Florida Foundation.
This comes after the state settled with a government-sponsored healthcare provider, sparking a state-level investigation into the foundation’s financial dealings and links to political committees.
Bryan Griffin, Communications Director for Governor DeSantis, characterized the accusations as “politically motivated lawfare,” drawing parallels to similar attacks against President Donald Trump.
“Governor DeSantis and Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis have been subject to politically motivated lawfare in the state of Florida, and now the same lawfare is being perpetrated against President Trump and his nominees,” Griffin stated to the Tampa Free Press. “It’s ridiculous and especially shameful coming from Republicans who hate to see others delivering results.”
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At the heart of the controversy is the Hope Florida Foundation, a direct support organization designed to raise private donations to bolster the Hope Florida initiative.
The initiative, a philosophy embedded in state government, aims to connect Floridians in need with non-governmental resources, fostering self-sufficiency and reducing reliance on public assistance. The Governor’s office emphasized that the Foundation is separate from the state-run initiative and operates solely on private donations, not taxpayer money.
The Department of Children and Families, responsible for administering state benefits, calculates the impact of Hope Florida. Their method involves cross-referencing participants who achieve self-sufficiency with their eligibility system, calculating savings based on the reduction or elimination of benefit amounts.
“When a Hope Florida participant meets their goals and reduces or eliminates reliance on public assistance, the Department is then able to cross-reference that individual in their eligibility system and confirm the individual’s success and removal or reduction from the benefits roster,” stated Jordan Kirkland, Deputy Communications Director for the Governor’s office. “The savings to the taxpayer is calculated by taking the actual benefit amount that an individual was receiving the month they entered Hope Florida and subtracting the current month’s benefit amount. This is done for every Hope Florida participant. For reduced reliance, it is the difference between the actual amounts, and for those no longer needing assistance, it is the full amount.”
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Kirkland also clarified that the Governor and First Lady do not direct or oversee the Hope Florida Foundation, which has its own independent board that holds regular meetings.
Despite these defenses, prosecutors confirmed to the Associated Press in May that an “open, ongoing investigation” had been launched by the Second Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s office, led by Jack Campbell, into the Hope Florida Foundation.
However, a senior official from DeSantis’ office told The Tampa Free Press that no official investigation is being conducted by the Leon County State Attorney’s office, despite reports that a record custodian in the state attorney’s office referred to the matter as “an open, ongoing investigation.”
This probe has followed intense scrutiny from state lawmakers, who allege that $10 million, originating from a state Medicaid settlement with Centene Corp., was disbursed by the foundation to two nonprofits. These nonprofits, in turn, funneled millions to a political committee chaired by DeSantis’ then-chief of staff, which actively campaigned against a failed recreational marijuana referendum.
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At a May event in Tampa, Governor DeSantis staunchly defended the Hope Florida program, stating, “I believe in this program deeply and I stand by it 100%.”
First Lady Casey DeSantis echoed his sentiment, describing Hope Florida as a “rewiring of the way that government operates” and a “model for the nation,” emphasizing a “hand up” rather than a “handout.”
Republican state Rep. Alex Andrade had been probing the foundation’s finances, indicating he would defer further inquiry to “the FBI and Department of Justice,” alleging that the intricate movement of funds could constitute “conspiracy to commit money laundering and wire fraud.”
Governor DeSantis has consistently dismissed these investigations as politically motivated attacks, particularly targeting his wife, whom he has publicly considered a potential successor. “Everything that’s been thrown at [Hope Florida] is pure politics,” he asserted.
The $10 million donation in question stemmed from a $67 million settlement between Centene Corp. and the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) over alleged overcharges to the state Medicaid program for prescription drugs.
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While AHCA General Counsel Andrew T. Sheeran stated that the settlement provided $57 million to cover recouped Medicaid dollars and an additional $10.8 million for other alleged damages, he maintained that the law does not prohibit executive branch officials from negotiating settlement conditions requiring actions beyond direct payments to the state.
Representative Andrade’s focus then shifted to Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, whom he claims oversaw the Centene settlement while serving as DeSantis’ chief of staff.
Andrade has accused Uthmeier of funneling the $10 million donation to political committees that campaigned against Amendment 3, the failed recreational marijuana ballot measure.
Uthmeier, appointed Attorney General by DeSantis in February, dismissed recent reporting in April as “politicized narratives” and, without naming Andrade directly, accused the lawmaker of a “tirade” and “doing the bidding of Big Marijuana.”
Uthmeier stated he was not part of the negotiation regarding the allocation of the settlement money but maintained that “everything looks legal.”
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He also defended his role in opposing the recreational marijuana amendment, distinguishing between “issue committees” and “political candidate committees” under the IRS code.
“I think the media misunderstands the difference between issue committees and political candidate committees under the IRS code — an issue committee can fight against a ballot initiative, and I’m very thankful those groups stepped up and helped us secure a big win,” he said.
The political sparring highlights a deepening conflict between the Governor’s office and certain state lawmakers, underscoring the scrutiny surrounding the intersection of philanthropic efforts, state settlements, and political maneuvering in Florida.
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