Hit dogs holler over Hope Florida disclosure

A Leon County grand jury investigated how $10 million from a $67 million Medicaid settlement ended up donated to the Hope Florida Foundation, a charity founded by First Lady Casey DeSantis, and then flowed into political action committees tied to Attorney General James Uthmeier's fight against a marijuana legalization amendment. The grand jury could not identify who made the decision to send the money there, finding that 'nobody will take responsibility,' and it brought no charges, though it called the episode 'a sophisticated scheme' that misused taxpayer funds for political purposes.

The report, leaked after officials expected it to stay sealed, also found Ashley Moody's chief deputy failed to conduct due diligence on the funds. Uthmeier called the investigation a 'politically motivated witch hunt' and 'a hoax'; DeSantis said the only crime was the leak itself. Joshua Hay, the former Hope Florida Foundation chairman, testified under oath that he could not confirm what the funds were used for and that the foundation had no monitoring procedures.

Democratic candidates for the 2026 midterms, including Angie Nixon, José Javier Rodriguez and David Jolly, have seized on the report, while Republican Senate nominee Byron Donalds has faced questions about it on the trail.

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