Florida Republicans are eating their own.
The Hope Florida scandal keeps getting uglier.
And James Uthmeier just threw Alex Andrade under the bus with one demand that has Florida Republicans fuming.
Attorney General Uthmeier Demands Lawmaker's Removal Over Planned Parenthood Case
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier escalated his war with a Republican lawmaker by demanding his removal from a key House position.
Uthmeier called for Representative Alex Andrade to be stripped of his chairmanship of the House Health Care Budget Subcommittee because Andrade's law firm is defending Planned Parenthood against the state.
The Attorney General filed a $354 million lawsuit against Planned Parenthood in November accusing the abortion giant of deceiving women about the safety of chemical abortion drugs.
Moore, Hill and Westmoreland — the Pensacola law firm where Andrade works — is representing Planned Parenthood in that case.
"His law firm is defending Planned Parenthood in state court against the state," Uthmeier said. "Not only that, he chairs a subcommittee in the Legislature on health care."
https://twitter.com/AGJamesUthmeier/status/2018358623139737723?s=20
Uthmeier demanded House Speaker Daniel Perez remove Andrade from the position and said his office won't cooperate with the subcommittee as long as Andrade remains chair.
On social media, Uthmeier accused Andrade of "profiting from abortions" while serving in the Legislature.
Andrade fired back hard.
Andrade Calls Uthmeier A "Thief" Over Hope Florida Scandal
The Pensacola Republican denied any personal involvement in the Planned Parenthood case and said he receives a fixed salary with no profit-sharing at his firm.
"Other lawyers at my firm were hired to be on their litigation team," Andrade said.
"I wasn't one of those lawyers."
Then Andrade went for the jugular.
"Why anybody takes the comments of a thief like James Uthmeier at face value is beyond me," Andrade told reporters.
That "thief" comment isn't random trash talk.
Andrade led a months-long House investigation last year into allegations that Uthmeier orchestrated the illegal diversion of $10 million in Medicaid funds through the Hope Florida Foundation to political committees fighting against marijuana legalization.
https://twitter.com/RAlexAndradeFL/status/2018365302619201563?s=20
The scandal centers on a $67 million Medicaid settlement with Centene Corporation in September 2024.
The DeSantis administration carved out $10 million from that settlement and sent it to Hope Florida — First Lady Casey DeSantis's signature charity.
Hope Florida then distributed the money to two nonprofits which turned around and donated $8.5 million to Uthmeier's political committee Keep Florida Clean to defeat the Amendment 3 marijuana ballot initiative.
Text messages obtained during the investigation showed Uthmeier personally reached out to one nonprofit asking them to request money from Hope Florida.
"I am firmly convinced that James Uthmeier and Jeff Aaron engaged in a conspiracy to commit money laundering and wire fraud," Andrade said in April 2025.
A Leon County grand jury opened a criminal investigation into the matter in May.
No indictment has been issued yet.
Records show the state paid the federal government $38 million in Medicaid matching funds based on the full $67 million settlement — proving the entire amount was Medicaid money despite DeSantis and Uthmeier claiming the $10 million was just a "sweetener" separate from taxpayer funds.
Florida GOP Infighting Intensifies As 2026 Elections Loom
Uthmeier and Andrade aren't the only Florida Republicans at each other's throats.
DeSantis and House Speaker Perez have been feuding all year over immigration, property taxes, and redistricting.
The 2025 legislative session was a train wreck — the governor, House, and Senate couldn't even agree on a budget until Florida nearly faced a government shutdown.
Now as the 2026 elections approach — with DeSantis term-limited out and Uthmeier facing voters for the first time — every fight has become personal.
Andrade is term-limited and can't run for re-election in 2026.
That makes him uniquely positioned to go after Uthmeier without worrying about political consequences.
Matt Gaetz called for Uthmeier's impeachment over the Hope Florida scandal last year before Gaetz resigned from Congress.
The Florida Democratic Party demanded DeSantis reimburse the $10 million to taxpayers.
Florida politics has devolved into a cage match between Republicans who should be on the same team.
Uthmeier's attack on Andrade looks like revenge for the Hope Florida investigation more than genuine concern about conflicts of interest.
Andrade didn't personally work on the Planned Parenthood case and doesn't profit from it.
But Uthmeier needs to change the subject from questions about whether he stole $10 million in Medicaid funds to finance a political campaign.
Sources:
- Drew Dixon, "James Uthmeier, Alex Andrade spar over Planned Parenthood lawsuit," Florida Politics, February 2, 2026.
- Frank Kopylov, "GOP Rep. Alex Andrade faces questions over law firm's role in Planned Parenthood case," Florida's Voice, February 2, 2026.
- Liv Caputo, "Uthmeier calls for GOP lawmaker's ouster from House leadership position," Florida Phoenix, February 2, 2026.
- "Hope Florida: A timeline of how a DeSantis-backed state charity was accused of wrongdoing," NBC Miami, April 28, 2025.
- Gray Rohrer, "Florida attorney general slams GOP lawmaker over abortion conflict of interest," Yahoo News, February 2, 2026.
