A Florida grand jury has concluded that Governor Ron DeSantis's administration misappropriated $10 million in taxpayer money from a Medicaid settlement, transferring it to the Hope Florida Foundation, a charity associated with the governor's wife, Casey DeSantis, before the funds were reportedly funneled into two political action committees. The grand jury, however, declined to indict anyone, citing insufficient evidence to charge anyone criminally.
Grand jury report details the alleged scheme
The grand jury report, dated 28 January 2026, was obtained and published by CBS News Miami on Wednesday. The jurors wrote that “these funds were misappropriated as part of a sophisticated scheme to fund political activities,” but they found “insufficient evidence to charge anyone criminally.”
According to the report, in 2024, the Hope Florida Foundation received $10 million from a Medicaid settlement between the state and Centene, a contractor for the government health insurance program for low-income Americans and children. After the transfer, the money was “quickly funneled” into two political action committees. The funds were then reportedly used to lobby against a ballot measure that would have legalized marijuana in Florida and were sent to the Republican Party of Florida.
No one takes responsibility for the decision
The grand jurors noted that “nobody will take responsibility for deciding the $10 million of taxpayer money would go to Hope Florida,” adding that “this decision was the original misappropriation, and no witness would take responsibility for making the decision or had any memory of who made it.” The report concludes, “While we can’t prove who is responsible, we can plainly see that taxpayer money was misused for political purposes and we would like to see changes made to prevent this from happening again.”
When questioned by a reporter on Thursday, DeSantis said the only crime that was “apparent was whoever leaked the grand jury report.” He described the settlement as “legally sound” and “appropriate,” stating that it “advanced the interest of state.” He added, “There was no diversion of any Medicaid funds. That was a private settlement where a company made a private contribution with one of the state agencies.”
Officials deny wrongdoing, but report points to involvement
The report mentions Casey DeSantis only once, referring to Hope Florida as an initiative “championed by the First Lady of Florida, Casey DeSantis.” DeSantis dismissed the allegations as an attempt to “smear the first lady,” saying, “She wasn’t involved in any of this.”
The grand jurors also found that Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, who was DeSantis's chief of staff at the time and is currently running for election, was in a “position of authority over those involved in settling with Centene.” Testimony identified him as “having involvement in directing the money after it went to Hope Florida.” No witness admitted to directing the money, but testimony revealed that Uthmeier's political action committee, Keep Florida Clean, was the “prime recipient of the majority” of the $10 million.
The report also noted that the office of Ashley Moody, then Florida's attorney general and now a U.S. Senator, knew of the payment, and her chief deputy signed the agreement “without conducting his due diligence to ensure the proper appropriation of taxpayer funds.” Both Moody and Uthmeier have denied any wrongdoing. Uthmeier, at an event at the Villages, said he could not comment on the report under Florida law, but added that “if it is indeed true,” it shows that “there was no probable cause found that anybody did anything wrong.” He also called the report a “hoax that has been debunked time and time and time again,” without providing evidence. A spokesperson for Moody told the New York Times that “the reports confirm what we have said all along,” adding that “neither the Department of Legal Affairs nor the former attorney general had knowledge of how the settlement money would be spent.”
Recommendations and political response
The grand jury recommended that the Florida legislature “enact a law to prevent this situation from occurring,” suggesting that “any monies received by the state from any source must be deposited into General Revenue, and there should be real consequences for anyone violating this law.” On Thursday, Democratic gubernatorial nominee David Jolly said that if elected, he would “reopen an investigation” into the incident and challenged Republican nominee Byron Donalds to do the same.
