Recent public records obtained by State Rep. Alex Andrade have shed new light on a controversial $67 million settlement between Florida and healthcare giant Centene, revealing what appears to be a last-minute diversion of funds after a meeting in the governor’s office to support Gov. DeSantis’ underfunded campaign to defeat a marijuana amendment.
Settlement Sat Dormant for Years Before Political Intervention
According to newly released documents, Centene had been attempting to settle with the state for the same $67 million amount since 2021. “One, it triply confirmed that Centene had been begging the state to settle for $67 million since 2021, 2022,” Andrade explained during a recent interview on the “(We Don’t Color On the Dog” podcast.
The settlement remained largely unchanged for years until a crucial meeting at the Governor’s office in September 2024. After that meeting, Medicaid settlement dollars—first $5 million and eventually $10 million—were given to the Hope Florida Foundation. Redline
- Andrade noted that the Hope Florida diversion “was forced in there two weeks before they actually signed the deal.”
Political Timing Raises Questions
The timing of these changes coincided suspiciously with Florida’s heated political climate surrounding ballot amendments on abortion and marijuana legalization. Andrade connected the dots: “This happened in conjunction with all the other circumstances we’ve seen where the governor’s office was pressuring state agencies to use state funds to run ads to oppose the abortion and the marijuana amendment.”
What concerned the state lawmaker:
“The fact that the governor felt comfortable weaponizing taxpayer dollars for political campaigns is a concern, and this just seems like the furthest extent they engaged in that practice.”
Web of Fund Transfers
The final settlement had a whereas clause that explained that Hope Florida was included because “AHCA’s pending contracts with managed care plans under the Statewide Medicaid Managed Care program contemplate an expanded role for Hope Florida in the Florida Medicaid program, pursuant to which managed care plans will be required to collaborate with Hope Florida’s Pathways to Prosperity program.”
- However, the Hope Florida Foundation did not give the $10 million to First Lady Casey DeSantis’ Hope Florida initiative. The foundation board approved two $5 million grants to the Florida Chamber’s Secure Florida’s Future and Save Our Society From Drugs.
Both nonprofits had already sent $1 million contributions to the PAC.
Prior to Sept. 12, James (DeSantis’ chief of staff James Uthmeier) thought he had one conduit in the Chamber of Commerce to kind of sneak $5 million through,” Andrade said.
“On that end, we see that on Sept. 18, the other Dark Money group, Save Our Society From Drugs, sent a million dollars. That was also separate from Hope Florida. Again, same thing, I’m assuming Save Our Society From Drugs, let James know, ‘Hey, we’re about to send you a million dollars. And I think that’s why the number went from $5 (million) to $10 (million) because James realized he had a second conduit to funnel additional funds from Hope Florida to his PAC.”
In February, DeSantis appointed Uthmeier to be Attorney General. Uhtmeier ran Keep Florida Clean, which received $4.75 million from Secure Florida’s Future and $4.65 million from Save Our Society From Drugs.
- “Until James Uthmeier either comes clean about what happened or he is put under oath by somebody, we won’t know for sure,” Andrade said, referring to the Attorney General’s role in the settlement.
More Information Coming?
Deputy Attorney General John Guard was part of the Centene negotiation. President Donald Trump has nominated him for federal judge, which means U.S. Senator Rick Scott. can use the confirmation process to extract information.
“During his confirmation process, if it ever begins, (Guard) should have to answer some questions about what his role was, what he knew, the entire experience there,” said Andrade.
Also, this was Medicaid settlement money; federal reporting requirements apply. “AHCA (Florida Agency for Health Care Administration) has 60 days to fully report the settlement to CMS, the Federal Medicaid Agency,” Andrade noted.
Rep. Andrade is still seeking, including:
- Governor’s office calendars and meeting records
- Complete email chains between agencies
- All drafts of the settlement agreement
