A grand jury in Florida has concluded that officials in the DeSantis administration moved $10 million of public Medicaid settlement money into the Hope Florida Foundation, a charitable organization linked to the Department of Children and Families. The grand jury’s sealed report, obtained by CBS News Miami, describes the maneuver as a “sophisticated scheme to fund political activities.”
How the money was moved
Centene Corporation, a managed‑care company, settled claims that it overbilled the state’s Medicaid program for just over $67 million in February 2023. By September 2024, state officials altered the agreement: $57 million was sent to the state’s General Revenue Fund, while a separate $10 million “donation” was directed to the Hope Florida Foundation.
State law normally requires settlement proceeds to be deposited directly into the General Revenue Fund or a specific agency trust, where legislators must vote on any subsequent spending. Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Jason Weida and agency attorney Andrew Sheeran testified that the $10 million was an unvetted “bonus” intended to settle the case, thereby bypassing the usual deposit rules.
Funds quickly turned into political grants
Forensic accountant Julian Dozier traced the $10 million to the foundation on Oct. 4, 2024. Within days, Hope Florida awarded two $5 million grants to non‑profit advocacy groups: Secure Florida’s Future, run by Florida Chamber of Commerce President Mark Wilson, and Save Our Society from Drugs, led by Amy Ronshausen. Both groups had applied for the money with assurances that it would not be used for political campaigns.
Former Hope Florida chairman Josh Hay approved the second grant without the standard state‑agency vetting, later telling the grand jury that “the road to hell is paved with good intentions.” Within two weeks, the two non‑profits transferred a combined $8.5 million to Keep Florida Clean, a political action committee headed by former governor’s chief of staff James Uthmeier. The PAC used the funds to oppose Amendment 3, a ballot measure that would legalize recreational marijuana, and sent $5 million to the Republican Party of Florida.
Officials’ awareness and accountability
Several state officials who signed the settlement agreement said they were unaware of the ultimate destination of the $10 million. Former Department of Health chief of staff Cassandra Pasley testified that she signed the document during an emergency hurricane response, believing it had already been vetted. Former chief deputy attorney general John Guard expressed political concerns about bypassing legislative spending authority but assumed another agency had handled the legal steps.
The grand jury found that the $10 million was intentionally diverted to avoid state spending limits and that the non‑profit executives mischaracterized their plans to quickly fund political campaigns. However, jurors did not recommend criminal indictments, citing memory lapses, diffused agency responsibility, and reliance on legal advice.
Recommendations for future settlements
To prevent similar occurrences, the grand jury recommended that Florida lawmakers enact stricter statutes requiring all future settlement funds to be deposited directly into the General Revenue Fund and to increase monitoring of state‑affiliated non‑profits that receive public money.
The findings add to ongoing scrutiny of how state officials manage public funds and underscore the importance of transparency and legislative oversight in safeguarding taxpayer dollars.
Original reporting: Tampa Free Press — read the source article.
