Casey DeSantis has been preparing for a gubernatorial run in 2026.
But she got blindsided by terrible news.
And Casey DeSantis just got one nasty surprise that ended her hopes of ever becoming governor.
Grand jury convenes amid explosive money laundering allegations
Prosecutors empaneled a grand jury on October 14 at the Leon County Courthouse in Tallahassee to examine allegations surrounding the Hope Florida Foundation.¹
State Attorney Jack Campbell declined to discuss the investigation, though witnesses tied to the controversy were observed arriving at the courthouse.²
Amy Ronshausen directs the Drug Free America Foundation and serves as executive director of Save Our Society from Drugs, which was among those subpoenaed.³
This nonprofit obtained $5 million from Hope Florida Foundation during the controversial money transfers.⁴
That money eventually flowed to Keep Florida Clean, a political committee headed by Attorney General James Uthmeier, who was Ron DeSantis’ chief of staff at the time.⁵
Republican state Rep. Alex Andrade, who chaired a House investigation into the matter, was also spotted at the courthouse.⁶
Back in April, Andrade accused Uthmeier and Hope Florida Foundation attorney Jeff Aaron of engaging in "a conspiracy to commit money laundering and wire fraud."⁷
$10 million trail from Medicaid settlement to political committee raises serious questions
The roots of this scandal trace back to how Hope Florida Foundation managed funds from a massive healthcare settlement.⁸
The controversy centers on $10 million extracted from a $67 million agreement between Centene, Florida’s dominant Medicaid managed-care provider, and state officials.⁸
Instead of helping Floridians directly, the Hope Florida Foundation rapidly dispersed the funds through two intermediary organizations.¹⁰
Secure Florida’s Future, linked to the Florida Chamber of Commerce, received $5 million, while Save Our Society from Drugs got another $5 million.¹¹
Both organizations then channeled roughly $8.5 million into Keep Florida Clean, the political committee Uthmeier controlled while battling the state’s recreational marijuana ballot initiative.¹²
The marijuana amendment received approximately 56% voter support but failed to reach the 60% threshold required for passage.¹³
Documents obtained during Andrade’s House investigation revealed that Uthmeier contacted these nonprofits directly, instructing them to seek funding from Hope Florida Foundation.¹⁴
Andrade’s investigation concluded that this represented illegal use of Medicaid funds for political purposes.¹⁵
Political fallout threatens Casey DeSantis’ gubernatorial ambitions
The timing couldn’t be worse for Casey DeSantis’ potential 2026 gubernatorial campaign.
Ron DeSantis can’t run again in 2026 because of term limits.¹⁶
Casey DeSantis looked like the obvious choice to succeed him. Until the Hope Florida mess blew up in her face.
The numbers tell the story. A July 2025 University of North Florida poll showed Casey DeSantis barely ahead of Rep. Byron Donalds at 32%-29% – and Donalds has Trump’s endorsement.¹⁷
DeSantis led Donalds by just 32%-29%, but the real story emerged when pollsters examined likely primary voters.¹⁸
Among Republicans who actually cast ballots in the 2022 primary election, Donalds dominated with a commanding 15-point advantage.¹⁸
At the time pollsters asked the question, nearly two-thirds of Florida Republicans had never even heard about the Hope Florida Foundation scandal.¹⁹
University of North Florida Professor Sean Freeder issued a stark warning – once Republican voters learn the full story through opposition advertising, Casey DeSantis will hemorrhage support.²⁰
Several veteran operatives from Ron DeSantis’ political machine have already abandoned ship and made clear they won’t work for Casey DeSantis in 2026.²¹
Ryan Tyson, who steered Ron DeSantis’ 2024 presidential bid, top fundraiser Makenzi Mahler, and fellow fundraiser Alex Valdes have all walked away.²²
"I don’t know who her team is, or who would work for her at this point," a person familiar with Casey DeSantis’ attempt to build a political operation told NBC News.²³
The controversy dominated the entire 2025 legislative session, forcing Republican lawmakers into hostile confrontations with gubernatorial appointees and foundation board members.²⁴
Gov. Ron DeSantis mounted an aggressive defense of his wife and the Hope Florida program, dismissing the investigation as "a manufactured political operation" while accusing fellow Republican lawmakers of desperately "grasping at straws."²⁵
DeSantis claimed critics "view her as a threat" and accused them of trying to "attack the first lady" ahead of 2026.²⁶
Uthmeier’s maintained all along that the $10 million was just an "additional contribution" and he "wasn’t part of securing the deal."²⁷
Here’s the problem with that story. Prosecutors don’t call grand juries for nothing. They’re not interested in political spin or carefully crafted denials.
When a state attorney empanels a grand jury, it means they think they’ve got evidence of actual crimes.²⁸
Florida law is clear on this – you need a grand jury indictment for two things: capital crimes or public officials who broke the law.²⁹
And where’s all this happening? Right across the street from the Capitol building.³⁰
Federal investigation looms
Democrat U.S. Reps. Kathy Castor and Darren Soto formally petitioned the Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to launch their own probe.³¹
"The taxpayers and citizens of Florida deserve answers," Rep. Castor said.³²
Since these funds originated from a Medicaid settlement, federal authorities could potentially pursue separate charges related to misappropriation of healthcare program money.³³
Casey DeSantis still hasn’t officially announced whether she’ll run for governor.
She’s remained coy about her intentions, telling the Conservative Review podcast that speculation about her running "speaks highly about the Governor himself."³⁴
Ron DeSantis attempted to shut down the speculation last May, saying his wife’s interest in "getting into the political thicket as a candidate" was "zero."³⁵
But those denials haven’t stopped the political gossip or the poll testing of her candidacy.
The grand jury proceedings make her potential candidacy far more complicated.
Running for governor while key allies face potential criminal indictments over a charity bearing her name would be nearly impossible.
Even if no charges result from the grand jury investigation, the cloud of suspicion will hang over any potential Casey DeSantis campaign.
Byron Donalds’ campaign is already prepared to weaponize the scandal.
"Byron Donalds will be Florida’s next Governor because he is the only proven conservative endorsed by President Trump," said Ryan Smith, chief strategist for the Donalds campaign.³⁶
The message is clear – Republican primary voters should choose Trump’s endorsed candidate rather than risk another DeSantis term plagued by scandal.
Democrats are salivating over the controversy.
House Minority Leader Rep. Fentrice Driskell called it "the sort of swamp-like behavior that people hate" and said if corruption can be rooted out, "we need to do it."³⁷
Democratic attorney general candidate José Javier Rodríguez suggested the scandal represents "a broader pattern of corruption in state government."³⁸
Casey DeSantis built her political profile as Florida’s First Lady by championing causes like mental health, children’s welfare, and disaster recovery.³⁹
The Hope Florida program was supposed to be her signature achievement – a compassionate initiative connecting struggling Floridians with community support.⁴⁰
Instead, it’s become a political albatross that could sink her gubernatorial ambitions before they officially begin.
The grand jury’s work remains secret, and it could take months before any decision on potential indictments.⁴¹
But the damage to Casey DeSantis’ political future may already be done.
¹ Ana Goñi-Lessan, "Tallahassee grand jury meets on Hope Florida Foundation case," USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida, October 14, 2025.
² – ⁶ Ibid.
⁷ "Hope Florida: Timeline of how DeSantis-backed state charity was accused of wrongdoing," WUSF, April 28, 2025.
⁸ Ibid.
⁹ Ibid.
¹⁰ "Hope Florida scandal," Wikipedia, October 2025.
¹¹ "Hope Florida: Timeline of how DeSantis-backed state charity was accused of wrongdoing," WUSF, April 28, 2025.
¹² Ibid.
¹³ "Hope Florida scandal," Wikipedia, October 2025.
¹⁴ "Rep. Andrade accuses Florida AG Uthmeier of money laundering, wire fraud amid Hope Florida probe," WUSF, April 18, 2025.
¹⁵ Ibid.
¹⁶ "Poll: Casey DeSantis has slight edge over Trump-backed candidate for FL governor," First Coast News, July 24, 2025.
¹⁷ "New poll shows Casey DeSantis and Byron Donalds in statistical tie for GOP race for governor," Florida Phoenix, July 24, 2025.
¹⁸ Ibid.
¹⁹ Ibid.
²⁰ Ibid.
²¹ "How ‘Hope Florida’ complicates Casey DeSantis’ potential run for governor," NBC News, April 25, 2025.
²² Ibid.
²³ Ibid.
²⁴ "Hope Florida: Timeline of how DeSantis-backed state charity was accused of wrongdoing," WUSF, April 28, 2025.
²⁵ "Gov. DeSantis says there’s ‘no basis’ for Hope Florida investigation," WUSF, May 22, 2025.
²⁶ "An open investigation has been confirmed in the Hope Florida scandal," WFSU News, May 21, 2025.
²⁷ "Hope Florida: Timeline of how DeSantis-backed state charity was accused of wrongdoing," WUSF, April 28, 2025.
²⁸ "Prosecutors convening grand jury in Hope Florida investigation," Union-Bulletin, October 2025.
²⁹ "Grand jury to review $10 million Medicaid diversion in Hope Florida controversy," WEAR TV, October 2025.
³⁰ "A grand jury closes in on the Capitol," Sun Sentinel, October 9, 2025.
³¹ "Federal agency ‘reviewing’ potential investigation into Hope Florida," Florida Phoenix, May 28, 2025.
³² Ibid.
³³ "Hope Florida scandal," Wikipedia, October 2025.
³⁴ "Another poll shows Casey DeSantis tops GOP field in 2026," Florida Politics, June 12, 2024.
³⁵ "Casey DeSantis favored in Florida governor’s race, poll finds," Fox News, February 19, 2025.
³⁶ "Casey DeSantis Edges Out Byron Donalds in New Florida Governor Race Poll," Newsweek, July 24, 2025.
³⁷ "Grand jury proceedings and subpoenas surround Hope Florida," WFLA, October 2025.
³⁸ "Grand jury reportedly meeting this week in Hope Florida investigation," WPTV, October 2025.
³⁹ "Hope Florida," Wikipedia, August 17, 2025.
⁴⁰ Ibid.
⁴¹ "Grand jury reportedly meeting this week in Hope Florida investigation," WPTV, October 2025.
