Hope Florida under investigation as the first couple touts the state program

DeSantis hits back over Hope Florida investigation

Evan Axelbank reports.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Leon County State Attorney's Office has launched an investigation related to Hope Florida, a foundation linked to Florida First Lady Casey Desantis.

What is Hope Florida?

Hope Florida promotes connections to community programs and faith-based institutions as pathways to wean individuals off government assistance.

Why is Hope Florida under investigation?

Details on the investigation are limited, but it seems that findings from a separate investigation in Florida's capital could play a role.

READ: Hope Florida program under fire as Gov. DeSantis pushes for it to become state law

Dig deeper:

Weeks ago, House Health Care Budget Chairman and Rep. Alex Andrade R-Pensacola, wrapped up a committee investigation scrutinizing the program and its nonprofit foundation, which gave $10 million from a state Medicaid settlement to two nonprofits.

Those groups in turn gave millions to a political committee, chaired by DeSantis’ then-chief of staff, that campaigned against a failed referendum on recreational marijuana.

"... several parties played a role in the misuse of $10M in Medicaid funds. We as legislators will not be the ones making the ultimate charging decisions," Andrade said during a hearing earlier this year.

READ: Rep. Kathy Castor calls for federal investigation into Hope Florida

Andrade's committee investigation ended after several key witnesses failed to testify, and the committee's findings were now in the hands of the authorities.

The other side:

Gov. DeSantis took a swing at the state house member who led the inquiry into the First Lady's Hope Florida program.

"You have one jackass in the legislature," the governor said during a Wednesday press conference, "who is trying to smear her."

That was a response to a question from Fox 13 about whether his office would cooperate with a state investigation that is now open into whether it was illegal for Hope Florida to send $10 million of a state Medicaid settlement to political action committees that were fighting recreational marijuana in the 2024 election.

In an email to Fox 13, the office of the Leon County state attorney Jack Campbell confirmed records related to Hope Florida are "part of an open and ongoing investigation."

"Just understand what happened," the governor said, "he took documents, and he dropped them in a prosecutor’s office. That is not an organic investigation, that’s a manufactured political operation. That’s all this is."

The state house member he’s referring to is State Rep. Alex Andrade, who shut down a committee investigation into Hope Florida after witnesses refused to testify.

He has accused James Uthmeier, then the chief of staff, now the attorney general, of money laundering.

Andrade argues Uthmeier hid what the money would be used for when the state made part of its settlement a $10 million payment to Hope Florida.

READ: Governor Ron and Casey DeSantis ‘double down’ on Hope Florida

He is the one who gave his findings to the state attorney’s office.

"I do not anticipate him being forthright, but what do you expect from someone who's committed money laundering and wire fraud?" Andrade told Fox 13 in April.

The governor and First Lady have insisted that the $10 million from Hope Florida that went to an anti-drug group were used for legitimate purposes, because part of what Hope Florida does, as it works to wean people off of public assistance, is fight drug addiction.

"She is more determined than ever to make a difference in lives with Hope Florida. I am more committed to hope Florida than I have ever been," the governor said. "There is no basis to do an investigation on these facts."

The state attorney in Leon County would not comment further on the investigation.

When asked, the governor didn’t say whether his office would cooperate.

Despite the open investigation, the first couple says they're continuing further their reach with Hope Florida, and touted the Foundation's successes during a news conference in Tampa on Tuesday.

"I believe in this program deeply and I stand by it 100%," Gov. Ron DeSantis said.

Casey DeSantis added, "No matter what, we're just going to double down on hope and we're going to continue to do good on behalf of the people of this state."

The Source: This story was written with information gathered by FOX 13's Mariah Harrison.

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