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17h ago

Florida Prosecutors Confirm Criminal Probe Into Casey DeSantis’s Hope Florida Foundation

The investigation focuses on the alleged diversion of $10 million from a Medicaid settlement to political committees opposing marijuana legalization, with Governor DeSantis dismissing the probe as politically motivated.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (L) and his wife Casey DeSantis wave as they depart the third Republican presidential primary debate at the Knight Concert Hall at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami, Florida, on November 8, 2023
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis delivers remarks during a news conference in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., Feb. 22, 2024.

Overview

  • Leon County State Attorney Jack Campbell's office confirmed an ongoing investigation into the Hope Florida Foundation’s handling of a $10 million Medicaid settlement payment.
  • The foundation received the funds from Centene as part of a $67 million settlement, with $57 million returned to the state and $10 million directed to the foundation.
  • Most of the $10 million was funneled to two nonprofits, which then contributed to PACs opposing a marijuana legalization ballot measure, including one chaired by DeSantis’s former chief of staff and current attorney general, James Uthmeier.
  • Governor Ron DeSantis has dismissed the investigation as a politically motivated attack, accusing State Rep. Alex Andrade, who led a legislative inquiry, of orchestrating a smear campaign.
  • Casey DeSantis defended the Hope Florida program as a model for welfare reform, while critics question the legality of the settlement fund allocation and call for accountability.