The investigative team at the Florida Trident broke a significant development in one of Florida’s most troubling political scandals, a scandal with ties to Gov. Ron DeSantis and Attorney General James Uthmeier.
- A grand jury has returned a presentment in the Hope Florida Foundation investigation, and someone appears to be working hard to keep it hidden from the public.
According to the Florida Trident’s reporting by award-winning journalist Michael Barfield, the Leon County grand jury convened to investigate the diversion of $10 million in public funds to the Hope Florida Foundation has completed its work and produced a formal presentment.
- The problem? That presentment remains confidential while a legal challenge plays out behind closed doors.
Hope Florida Controversy
The Hope Florida Foundation is a nonprofit created to support First Lady Casey DeSantis’ signature welfare initiative. In October 2024, the foundation received a $10 million “donation” tied to a legal settlement between the State of Florida and Medicaid contractor Centene. Florida had accused Centene of overbilling Medicaid by $67 million.
- Rather than those funds benefiting Florida taxpayers, the Hope Florida Foundation wired two $5 million grants to nonprofits that ultimately funneled most of the money into Keep Florida Clean, a political committee formed to fight a 2024 ballot measure to legalize recreational marijuana.
The central figure in this story is James Uthmeier, now Florida’s attorney general. Uthmeier chaired Keep Florida Clean while serving as Gov. Ron DeSantis’ chief of staff. DeSantis appointed Uthmeier as attorney general just weeks before the controversy became public in April 2025.
State Rep. Alex Andrade of Pensacola spearheaded the Florida House committee investigation, and he has publicly accused Uthmeier of wire fraud and money laundering. He forwarded his findings to State Attorney Jack Campbell, who then convened the grand jury in October 2025. Both DeSantis and Uthmeier deny any wrongdoing.
The Presentment Exists — We Just Can’t See It
Here’s where the Florida Trident’s investigative reporting gets important. Barfield submitted public records requests seeking a copy of the grand jury presentment and any related court filings. The State Attorney’s Office for the Second Judicial Circuit responded by invoking confidentiality exemptions under Florida law. That response tells us something critical.
As criminal defense attorney and public records expert Andrea Flynn Mogensen explained to the Trident: “If no presentment or court filings challenging it existed, there would be no responsive records to withhold and no need to invoke an exemption grounded in grand jury secrecy.”
- In other words, the presentment exists. Someone has challenged it. And the public is being kept in the dark.
Under Florida Statute 905.28, a grand jury presentment relating to an individual when not paired with a criminal indictment remains confidential while a legal challenge is pending. A review of online court records found at least three sealed case numbers in Leon County during the relevant time period. Multiple calls and emails to DeSantis and Uthmeier seeking comment went unanswered.
Why This Matters
Ben Wilcox, Executive Director of Integrity Florida, was critical of any effort to hide the grand jury presentment, noting the donation was part of a settlement that should have been returned to taxpayers. He told Barfield, “Hiding the findings of the grand jury only exacerbates the problem and causes the public to lose even more confidence in their government.”
- The Florida Supreme Court addressed the importance of grand jury transparency nearly five decades ago, writing that “implicit in the power of the grand jury to investigate and expose official misconduct is the right of the people to be informed of its findings.”
The grand jury has spoken. Floridians deserve to hear what it said.
- This post is based on the excellent investigative reporting of Michael Barfield and the Florida Trident, a nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization dedicated to holding Florida’s powerful accountable. For the full story — including the detailed legal analysis of Florida’s grand jury statutes and what they mean for this case — visit the Florida Trident at floridatrident.org.
Andrade’s Fix
The Florida House unanimously passed HB 593, which Rep. Andrade filed after investigating the DeSantis administration’s transfer of $10 million from a $67 million Medicaid settlement to the Hope Florida Foundation in 2024.
HB 593 would make diversion of settlement funds an official crime, require written notice to legislative leaders within 10 days and bar officials from using their roles for political fundraising. The law would take effect in July and is not retroactive.
Unfortunately, the bill faces an uphill battle in the Florida Senate and might not reach the governor’s desk for his signature.
