Ron DeSantis and his wife thought they had the perfect political program to showcase their conservative values.
But their cozy arrangement with big money just blew up in their faces.
And James Uthmeier made one move with Casey DeSantis’ Hope Florida that left a grand jury wanting answers.
Hope Florida’s $10 million mystery money trail exposed
Casey DeSantis launched Hope Florida in 2021 as the administration’s conservative answer to welfare dependency.
Instead of handing out government checks, the program was supposed to connect needy Floridians with local churches and nonprofits to achieve "self-sufficiency."
It sounded good on paper and gave the First Lady a signature issue for a potential gubernatorial run.
But behind the scenes, things got messy fast.
The trouble started with a $67 million settlement between Florida and Centene Corporation, a major Medicaid provider that got caught overbilling the state for prescription drug services.
Here’s where it gets interesting – and suspicious.
Instead of all $67 million going back to state coffers where it belonged, only $57 million made it to the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration.
The other $10 million took a mysterious detour straight into the Hope Florida Foundation’s bank account.¹
State Representative Debra Tendrich, who sits on the House Health Care Budget Subcommittee, explained what happened next.
"Apparently, before Hope Florida even knew that they were receiving a $10 million donation, the two recipients of the grants already knew that the money was coming," she said.²
That $10 million immediately got split between two 501(c)(4) organizations that could legally engage in political spending.
Uthmeier’s anti-marijuana crusade gets $8.5 million boost
The Hope Florida Foundation wired $5 million each to "Save Our Society From Drugs" and "Securing Florida’s Future."
These weren’t exactly established powerhouses – Save Our Society From Drugs showed net assets of $96,000 going into 2024, while Securing Florida’s Future disbanded in April 2025.³
But both organizations had one thing in common.
But here’s where it gets really suspicious – campaign finance records reveal both organizations quickly funneled a combined $8.5 million to "Keep Florida Clean," the political committee working to defeat the recreational marijuana amendment.⁴
The chair of Keep Florida Clean? James Uthmeier, who was Governor DeSantis’s Chief of Staff at the time and is now Florida’s Attorney General.
Representative Alex Andrade, who led the House investigation, publicly accused Uthmeier of felony crimes during his inquiry.
But it was Senator Rick Scott who was most direct about the allegations.
"At this point, based on the information I have, I’m confident James Uthemeier committed money laundering and wire fraud," Scott said.⁵
When pressed about his involvement, Uthmeier tried to play dumb about the whole arrangement.
He claimed the $10 million was just a "sweetener" – extra money Centene threw in because the state was "acting in good faith."
But Pensacola Attorney Chris Klotz, who’s practiced law for over 30 years, had never heard that term used in any legal context.
Grand jury subpoenas start flying
The house of cards started tumbling when legislators demanded answers about the suspicious money trail.
Hope Florida Foundation Chairman Joshua Hay was hauled before the House subcommittee in April, where lawmakers grilled him about the largest grants in the foundation’s history.
"Were you concerned at all that someone might scrutinize the largest grant proposal and donations in the history of this foundation?" asked Representative Kevin Steele.⁶
Hay’s response was telling – he claimed he got "assurances" from the foundation’s general counsel that everything was "above board."
But the grant request letters from both recipient organizations contained almost identical language, suggesting coordination behind the scenes.
Neither letter mentioned that the grant money would be used for political activity, even though that’s exactly what happened within days of the money changing hands.
Now prosecutors in Leon County have convened a grand jury that began hearing testimony this week.
Several subpoenas have gone out over the past several weeks, including one reportedly served on Chief Deputy Attorney General John Guard, who signed the original $67 million Centene settlement.
Guard was tapped by President Trump to become a federal judge, but Senator Rick Scott put his confirmation on hold specifically because of questions about his involvement in the Hope Florida controversy.
DeSantis circles the wagons as program stalls
Governor DeSantis went into full defensive mode when news of the grand jury investigation broke.
"Everything that’s been thrown at it is pure politics," he insisted during a press conference. "I believe in this program deeply, and I stand by it 100%."⁷
Casey DeSantis chimed in that they would "continue to double down on hope."
But their public confidence doesn’t match what’s happening behind closed doors.
For the first time since Hope Florida launched, no state agency is asking for additional money next year to expand the program.
https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/1915503167661629657
After years of requesting millions to grow the initiative, the sudden silence speaks volumes about the program’s future heading into DeSantis’s final legislative session.
The administration has struggled to prove Hope Florida actually works, repeatedly claiming it removed 30,000 people from government welfare and saved $100 million – but they’ve never provided data supporting those numbers.
Meanwhile, the Hope Florida Foundation’s new board voted to prevent any single person from approving grants over $50,000 without full board approval.
That policy change would have prevented last year’s controversial unilateral decision to hand over $5 million to fight the marijuana amendment.
What this means for political accountability
Look, this whole scandal exposes exactly how the swamp actually operates in state capitals across America.
You’ve got a Medicaid settlement that should have gone straight back to taxpayers, but instead gets diverted through a charity to fund a political campaign that just happened to align with the governor’s agenda.
The timing wasn’t coincidental – records show the Hope Florida Foundation was added to the settlement agreement at the very last minute, right as the anti-marijuana campaign was heating up.
For folks who actually pay taxes in Florida, this should be infuriating.
These politicians set up elaborate schemes to move public money through nonprofit channels with minimal accountability, then act shocked when anyone questions their arrangements.
If this grand jury finds evidence of criminal wrongdoing, it could expose a pattern of behavior that goes far beyond just Hope Florida.
It might finally show voters exactly how their tax dollars get recycled into political slush funds that benefit the same insiders who cut the original deals.
The real question is whether anyone will face consequences, or if this becomes just another case of powerful people skating by while regular Floridians foot the bill.
¹ Tampa Bay Times, "Grand jury to investigate Hope Florida Foundation’s handling of $10 million," October 10, 2025.
² Ibid.
³ Ibid.
⁴ ABC Action News, "Grand jury convened to probe potential misconduct in Hope Florida program," October 13, 2025.
⁵ WEAR TV, "Grand jury to review $10 million Medicaid diversion in Hope Florida controversy," October 6, 2025.
⁶ Tampa Bay Times, "Grand jury to investigate Hope Florida Foundation’s handling of $10 million," October 10, 2025.
⁷ The Hill, "Florida Gov. DeSantis slams apparent investigation into Hope Florida Foundation," October 8, 2025.
