State Rep. Alex Andrade isn’t backing off his position on Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Hope Florida budget demands. As chair of the House Health Care Budget Subcommittee, Andrade is wielding budget authority like a scalpel, targeting what he sees as DeSantis’s administrative overreach and fiscal irresponsibility. Following the Hope Florida scandal, Andrade and his committee seek unprecedented transparency on how the state spends Medicaid funds.
Paychecks on Hold Until Data Flows
The Pensacola lawmaker has inserted language into the budget that would withhold the paycheck of the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) secretary until the agency enters an “extensive data sharing agreement” with the legislature.
- “Until that happens, the AHCA secretary won’t receive a paycheck,” Andrade stated matter-of-factly during a Saturday podcast interview.
The deadline for compliance is September, giving the agency over two months after the fiscal year begins on July 1 to meet legislative demands. While Gov. DeSantis could veto this provision, Andrade questions why any governor would oppose greater transparency with the legislature.
Lighting Up Hope Florida
Andrade’s contentious battle over Hope Florida hasn’t cooled off. The lawmaker describes First Lady Casey DeSantis’ signature initiative as suffering from an identity crisis. “The governor’s office can’t decide if it’s a movement or a philosophy or a program. They keep describing it differently.”
- The House Health Care Budget chair has received support from Congressman Jimmy Patronis. On Matt Gaetz’s One America News Network show Friday, Patronis said, “I applaud the Legislature for asking tough questions of the executive branch. That’s what we’re supposed to do. That’s what our constituents expect us to do.”
What particularly irks Andrade is the program’s impact on existing state services. Andrade’s investigation revealed that the reassignment of many Department of Children and Families (DCF) employees as Hope navigators caused hours-long wait times for the regular DCF hotline.
“You can’t shut down an essential function of state government to redirect employees to go do something completely different like that, especially not without input from the legislature,” he argued, calling it proof that “Gov. DeSantis either does not care about how the state is operating or he is just incompetent as a manager.”
- Salzman Side Trip: At the quarterly meeting of her Mental Health Task Force of Northwest Florida in early June, State Rep. Michelle Salzman (R-Cantonment) had Bob Asztalos, the Deputy Executive Director of the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs, give a presentation on Hope Florida. The meetings are not open to the public, but a reader shared the agenda—Hope_Salzman. Andrade does support funding Hope navigators for the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs. Another Salzman “Oops Moment.”
Media Intimidation
The controversy deepened when DCF sent a cease-and-desist letter to Orlando Sentinel investigative reporter Jeff Schweers for questioning families who allegedly received Hope Florida assistance. Andrade finds this government intimidation of journalists “bizarre.”
- The Sentinel’s executive editor rejected the claims as a baseless attempt to chill free speech and confirmed the reporting will continue.
More troubling are the financial irregularities uncovered in the Hope Florida Foundation. Attorney Jeff Aaron, who allegedly defrauded the foundation of $10 million, provided a spreadsheet showing questionable expenditures, including direct payments to families and charges for “cabinetry and handyman services.”
- “There’s no information on why they chose these specific people or exactly what they did with the money,” Andrade noted, contradicting the First Lady’s claims that Hope Florida connects people with nonprofits rather than providing direct payments.
The foundation’s operations through the Florida Education Foundation add another layer of opacity, with limited disclosure about funding sources and expenditures. Hope Florida run under the Florida Education Foundation when Rebecca Matthews was chair, before the Hope Foundation was formed.
- You Scratch My Back; I’ll Scratch Yours: Rebecca Matthews, chair of the University of West Florida Board of Trustees, has been on the Florida Education Foundation Board since 2021. Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. appointed her foundation chair in September 2022.
- On May 28, 2025, Matthews returned the favor and nominated Diaz as UWF’s interim president. She will present his contract at the June 12 board meeting.
- There is one more UWF connection—Scott Ross, husband of UWF Trustee Ashley Ross, serves on the Florida Education Foundation.
Cancer Research vs. Cancer Care
Andrade also addressed criticism over his handling of the Casey DeSantis Cancer Research Initiative. While Florida already allocates $130 million annually to four nationally recognized cancer research institutions, the Casey DeSantis program receives an additional $60 million in base funding.
The problem, according to Andrade, is mission creep. “What was framed as cancer research has just become a method of subsidizing cancer care,” he explained. When the program’s sole metric is patient treatment numbers rather than research innovation, “I don’t fully understand how you can justify calling that cancer research.”
He rejected a request for an additional $30 million increase, arguing the program lacks justification for its research claims or track record of innovation.
