The $10 million that Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration directed to Hope Florida Foundation last year came from Medicaid funds owed to taxpayers, contradicting public statements by the governor and state officials, documents obtained by the Miami Herald/Times show.
Three years ago, Florida reached a settlement with Centene, the state’s largest Medicaid contractor, after it was discovered the company had overbilled taxpayers $67 million for medications. Instead of returning the full settlement to state and federal coffers, officials diverted $10 million to Hope Florida Foundation, a charity overseen by Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis.
The money was subsequently sent to two nonprofit organizations that aren’t required to disclose how they spend their funds. These “dark money” groups later donated $8.5 million to a political committee overseen by DeSantis’ chief of staff.
When questioned about the unusual arrangement, DeSantis initially claimed the $10 million “was in addition to what they [the state] were getting.” He later described it as “a cherry on top” of the settlement.
State Rep. Alex Andrade, a Pensacola Republican investigating the transfer, told the Herald/Times that DeSantis “is either misinformed by his shrinking circle, or he’s lying.”
“This was Medicaid money that was squandered, plain and simple,” Andrade said, questioning why the state waited so long to finalize the agreement. “They were in no rush until suddenly they needed cash to fund their campaign against Amendment 3.”
The February 2022 draft settlement agreement was created the same month DeSantis’ chief of staff began negotiations, according to calendar records. Attorneys involved in the initial settlement discussions said the donation to Hope Florida Foundation was never mentioned during talks, and they only learned of it through media reports.
James Uthmeier, now Florida’s attorney general, said he “wasn’t part of securing the deal,” despite records showing he held multiple meetings about Centene with administration officials throughout 2022.
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