Overview
- Reporting by the Tampa Bay Times and Miami Herald tracked at least $35–36.2 million redirected through five state agencies to lawyers, consultants and media buys opposing 2024 ballot initiatives on abortion and recreational marijuana.
- In total, at least $21.2 million moved through a network of transactions to a small group of vendors as ads defended Florida’s six-week abortion ban and warned about marijuana use.
- Identified sources included $10 million from a Medicaid overbilling settlement, $4 million from the opioid settlement trust fund, $970,000 from a Health Department program, $4.4 million from a Transportation Department account and $1.1 million from Children and Families.
- Journalists found that nearly half of the expenditures were not posted to the state’s contracting portal and that requested invoices and ad materials have not been fully released under public records laws.
- A state grand jury continues to examine the earlier $10 million diversion tied to Medicaid as key officials and agencies offer little public comment and some lawmakers call for accountability.