TALLAHASSEE, FLA. — A Florida statewide grand jury has concluded that Gov. Ron DeSantis's administration "misappropriated" $10 million in Medicaid settlement funds that were supposed to help pay for children's health insurance, diverting the money instead into First Lady Casey DeSantis's signature charity and, eventually, into political ads.

Hope Florida, launched in 2021, was pitched as a program to help Floridians transition off government assistance by connecting them with charities and private aid instead — an approach the DeSantises have showcased nationally as a model welfare alternative.

The grand jury report, sealed since January 28 and leaked to reporters this week, traces the money back to a $67 million settlement Florida struck with health insurer Centene Corp. — funds the panel says were meant to expand children's health coverage. Instead, according to findings reported by CBS Miami, $10 million of it was routed through a chain of nonprofits to the Hope Florida Foundation before landing with two political action committees and the Republican Party of Florida. Those groups spent the money in 2024 helping defeat Amendment 3, the ballot measure that would have legalized recreational marijuana in the state.

No Charges, But Harsh Language

Despite the blunt findings, the grand jury said it lacked sufficient evidence to file criminal charges against anyone involved, describing what it uncovered as part of "a sophisticated scheme to fund political activities" using money intended for a public health purpose.

"DESPITE OUR FINDING THAT THE MONEY WAS MISAPPROPRIATED, WE FIND INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE TO CHARGE ANYONE CRIMINALLY."

DeSantis, a potential 2028 presidential contender, dismissed the report as a "hoax" and suggested whoever leaked the sealed document could face legal consequences. "When you violate the law like this, by releasing [the report], there's going to be ... consequences for that, in a variety of different ways," he said, adding that he personally "wasn't involved in the settlement agreement" and is "very happy with how everything was done."

His communications director, Alex Lanfranconi, went further, calling the findings "a baseless smear" that "has been debunked over and over again," and argued the only real wrongdoing was the leak itself. A spokesperson tied to Attorney General James Uthmeier's office, whose role in the settlement has also faced scrutiny, said no one has been charged: "I have not been indicted ... Nobody did anything wrong here," according to WFLA's reporting.

The Hope Florida Foundation has been under scrutiny for months over its fundraising and spending practices, but this is the first time a grand jury has formally concluded that settlement money was misdirected through it into partisan political spending. Because the report found no criminal culpability, it's unlikely to trigger prosecutions on its own — but it hands DeSantis's political rivals fresh ammunition heading into a midterm cycle already dominated by scrutiny of how state officials handle public settlement dollars.

What's next: expect renewed calls from state lawmakers for an independent audit of Hope Florida's finances, and continued fallout for Casey DeSantis, who has been positioning the foundation as a centerpiece of her own political profile.