TALLAHASSEE, Fla — The Florida House abruptly ended its investigation into Hope Florida, the welfare assistance program championed by First Lady Casey DeSantis. The probe had drawn scrutiny over allegations of money laundering and wire fraud involving some of the state’s top officials.
“I believe our work on this topic in this capacity as a subcommittee will be concluded,” said House Chair Rep. Alex Andrade (R-Pensacola) during Thursday’s hearing, which was marked by the absence of several key witnesses. They included CEO of the Florida Chamber Mark Wilson and Jeff Aaron, an attorney for the Hope Florida Foundation.
Watch full report from Forrest Saunders
The subcommittee’s inquiry focused on how $10 million from a $67 million settlement with managed care provider Centene allegedly moved through a complex financial chain: from Centene to the Hope Florida Foundation, then to two nonprofits via grants, and eventually to a political group chaired by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier.
At the time, Uthmeier was serving as Chief of Staff to Governor Ron DeSantis and working against a proposed amendment to legalize recreational marijuana.
“In the real world, right, if someone defrauded the state or a charity out of ten million, they would go to prison. That occurred,” Andrade told reporters after the subcommittee concluded.
The Pensacola Republican spent weeks collecting budget records, text messages, and testimony, which he thinks suggests serious financial misconduct involving Medicaid dollars. However, despite his concerns, Andrade confirmed the legislative investigation was complete.
“I know enough to know that there was a culture of deception, incompetence, and a treatment of taxpayer funds as if it was their own kind of personal piggy bank, and that just guides our role and responsibility as legislators going forward. I’ll leave the rest of the investigation up to the FBI and Department of Justice,” Andrade said.
While a legislative bill may be introduced next year to address such financial movements, for now, the House looks to have closed the book on its inquiry.
Meanwhile, Governor Ron DeSantis and First Lady Casey DeSantis remain vocal defenders of the program. Appearing in St. Augustine on Thursday, the pair praised Hope Florida for helping 30,000 Floridians reduce or eliminate their dependence on state aid.
“No matter what, you know, is written, don't ever let politics get in the way of purpose,” said Casey DeSantis.
The DeSantises dismissed the investigation as a politically motivated attack aimed at weakening Casey DeSantis amid speculation about her political ambitions.
“They're trying to smear this program. Some of them, you know, some of these lefty journalists, don't like it. They don't like you working with the faith-based community. Some of these people you know, view it as a way to attack the First Lady and all the great things she's done because they view her as a threat. So, that's what's motivating this,” Governor DeSantis said.
In defense of the program, the administration pointed to Centene settlement documents from 2023. The paperwork appears to show a $56 million payout for Medicaid-related damages and an additional $10 million described as an incentive to settle, what the governor called “a cherry on top,” arguing it wasn’t public money.
For now, with the House probe concluded and no public word from federal authorities, the fate of the Hope Florida controversy remains uncertain.
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