- Florida grand jury has found that the administration of the governor, Ron DeSantis, "misappropriated" $10 million in taxpayer money from a settlement into the Hope Florida Foundation, a charity to DeSantis’s wife, before the money was reportedly "funneled" into "two political action committees".
- The grand jury report, dated January 28, 2026, states that in 2024, the Hope Florida Foundation received $10 million from a Medicaid settlement between the state and Centene, a contractor for the government health insurance program for low-income Americans and children.
- The report goes on to say that after the money was transferred to Hope Florida, it was quickly funneled from there into two political action committees, and that the money was then reportedly used to lobby against a ballot measure that would have legalized marijuana in Florida.
- The grand jurors wrote that "we conclude that these funds were misappropriated as part of a sophisticated scheme to fund political activities" but said that they found "insufficient evidence to charge anyone criminally."
- On Thursday, DeSantis denied any diversion of funds, calling the settlement "legally sound" and "appropriate".
- On Thursday, James Uthmeier said he could not comment on the report under Florida law, but called it a "hoax".
- The Democratic nominee for governor in Florida stated that if elected, he would reopen an investigation into the incident.
- In the report, the jurors write that "nobody will take responsibility for deciding the $10 million of taxpayer money would go to Hope Florida" and "this decision was the original misappropriation, and no witness would take responsibility for making the decision or had any memory of who made it."
- The grand jurors also noted that the office of Ashley Moody, then Florida’s attorney general, knew of the payment, and that her chief deputy signed the agreement "without conducting his due diligence to ensure the proper appropriation of taxpayer funds."
- The jury recommended that the Florida legislature "enact a law to prevent this situation from occurring" and suggested enacting "a law that says any monies received by the state from any source must be deposited into General Revenue, and there should be real consequences for anyone violating this law."
A Florida grand jury has concluded that the DeSantis administration misappropriated $10 million from a Medicaid settlement, directing funds to the Hope Florida Foundation, a charity associated with the governor's wife, before funnelling them into political action committees.15
The report, dated January 28, 2026, reveals that the funds originated from a settlement between the state and Centene, a contractor for Medicaid. The grand jury stated, “we conclude that these funds were misappropriated as part of a sophisticated scheme to fund political activities”, although they found “insufficient evidence to charge anyone criminally”.24
After the transfer to the Hope Florida Foundation, the money was reportedly used to lobby against a marijuana legalization ballot measure and was sent to the Republican Party of Florida. The jurors noted that “nobody will take responsibility for deciding the $10 million of taxpayer money would go to Hope Florida” and expressed concern over the lack of accountability.8
Governor DeSantis responded to the report, stating that the settlement was “legally sound” and that “there was no diversion of any funds”. However, the report highlighted the involvement of James Uthmeier, the Florida attorney general and former chief of staff to DeSantis, who was identified as having authority over the settlement process. The grand jury noted that Uthmeier's political action committee, Keep Florida Clean, received the majority of the misappropriated funds.6
The grand jury concluded, “While we can’t prove who is responsible, we can plainly see that taxpayer money was misused for political purposes”.
“The report, dated January 28, 2026, says the money was 'quickly funneled' into two political action committees, including one tied to Attorney General James Uthmeier, and used to lobby against a marijuana ballot measure. DeSantis denied any diversion, calling the settlement 'legally sound' and 'appropriate'.”
The Guardian
