House abruptly drops its Hope Florida investigation for the session

A high-profile inquiry by the Florida House into a charity associated with an initiative started by First Lady Casey DeSantis has abruptly come to an end, at least for now.

But House Speaker Daniel Perez suggested on Thursday that there are still unanswered questions surrounding Hope Florida and the foundation.

“At this point all options are still on the table with Hope Florida,” Perez said. “We have not closed the door on that.”

Perez pointed out that the House still has outstanding requests for documents and other information it is seeking from state agencies and others related to the organization.

“We don’t have the facts yet, we are not done receiving facts,” Perez said.

The ongoing probe of Hope Florida has transfixed the Capitol and lead to fierce pushback from Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has lashed out at Republicans over what he has branded a “hoax.”

The investigation has centered on a $10 million “donation” to the Hope Florida Foundation – the non-profit affiliated with Hope Florida – from health care giant Centene. As it has unfolded the House Republican leading the probe – Rep. Alex Andrade – has raised the prospect of “money laundering” and other possible crimes.

The final hearing on the inquiry came on Thursday before the House Health Care Budget Subcommittee but it ended quickly after several people asked by Andrade declined to appear and testify. They did not cancel their appearances until shortly before the meeting.

He attributed the last-minute cancellations to fear, given the stakes.

“$10 million is a lot of money in the real world, right? If someone defrauded the state or a charity out of $10 million, they would go to prison,” he said.

The Hope Florida Foundation is a direct-service organization that helps serve the Hope Florida program, which aims to remove people from Medicaid and food assistance by connecting them with “navigators” in state agencies who work with faith-based communities and other private sector efforts to transition people to financial security.

Following the truncated hearing Andrade, chairman of the House Health Care Budget Subcommittee said the House did not intend to subpoena anyone or force delivery of requested information. “Everyone and their mother knows what happened,” he told reporters.

He criticized Attorney General James Uthmeier, who was chief of staff for Gov. DeSantis at the time the foundation got the money that it subsequently sent to two political committees that then made substantial donations to a third committee battling a citizens’ constitutional amendment to legalize marijuana. Uthmeier controlled the third committee, Keep Florida Clean.

The transactions were first reported by the Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald.

“I’m a legislator making policy decisions, and I’m comfortable making the policy decisions based on the fact that James Uthmeier was involved, transferred this money illicitly, misled people and lied to people in the process, harmed several people in their jobs in the process, caused innumerable harm to several people, and that harm is not fully realized yet.” 

No shows

Andrade had invited Mark Wilson, president and CEO of the Florida Chamber of Commerce and chair of Secure Florida’s Future; Amy Ronshausen, executive director of Save Our Society From Drugs; and Tallahassee attorney and Hope Florida Foundation legal counsel Jeff Aaron to appear at the meeting but none showed.

The $10 million came from health care giant Centene in settlement of a legal dispute over overpayments of Medicaid pharmacy benefits. It was part of a larger $67 million settlement with the state in September 2024.

Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Shevaun Harris insisted that the $10 million wasn’t taxpayer money, but rather a donation in addition to the settlement payment, and so have other DeSantis officials.

Appearing at a press conference at a church in St. Augustine, DeSantis didn’t comment on the dropped investigation. Instead, he and First Lady Casey DeSantis touted the Hope Florida program once again, asserting that it has helped more than 30,000 Floridians reduce or completely eliminate their reliance on public assistance.

They asserted that the program would save taxpayers “over $100 million a year.” They have provided no documentation proving that, however. 

Casey DeSantis spoke extensively about the work done by Hope Florida, including  with the faith-based community. “What we are doing is good,” she said. “What we are doing is just. Sometimes you have to put on the full armor of God and you fight, because you know what you’re doing is righteous.”

Her only direct reference to the growing controversy was to say, “No matter what is written, don’t ever let politics get in the way of purpose.”

When asked by a reporter to comment about whether the $10 million came from Medicaid dollars, the governor said that documents released earlier this week by the the Florida AHCA “totally debunks the bogus media narratives that were out there.” 

“Why are they doing narrative?” he asked he said of news organizations. “They’re not doing it because they really care about that,” he said. “They’re doing it to try to impugn Hope Florida. They’re trying to smear this program. They don’t like working with the faith based community.”

Another Hope Florida Foundation resignation

Hope Florida Foundation meeting includes warning on tax status

Don Gaetz: Senate won’t confirm two of DeSantis’s top health care secretaries

No shows

Andrade had invited Mark Wilson, president and CEO of the Florida Chamber of Commerce and chair of Secure Florida’s Future; Amy Ronshausen, executive director of Save Our Society From Drugs; and Tallahassee attorney and Hope Florida Foundation legal counsel Jeff Aaron to appear at the meeting but none showed.

The $10 million came from health care giant Centene in settlement of a legal dispute over overpayments of Medicaid pharmacy benefits. It was part of a larger $67 million settlement with the state in September 2024.

Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Shevaun Harris insisted that the $10 million wasn’t taxpayer money, but rather a donation in addition to the settlement payment, and so have other DeSantis officials.

Appearing at a press conference at a church in St. Augustine, DeSantis didn’t comment on the dropped investigation. Instead, he and First Lady Casey DeSantis touted the Hope Florida program once again, asserting that it has helped more than 30,000 Floridians reduce or completely eliminate their reliance on public assistance.

They asserted that the program would save taxpayers “over $100 million a year.” They have provided no documentation proving that, however. 

Casey DeSantis spoke extensively about the work done by Hope Florida, including  with the faith-based community. “What we are doing is good,” she said. “What we are doing is just. Sometimes you have to put on the full armor of God and you fight, because you know what you’re doing is righteous.”

Her only direct reference to the growing controversy was to say, “No matter what is written, don’t ever let politics get in the way of purpose.”

When asked by a reporter to comment about whether the $10 million came from Medicaid dollars, the governor said that documents released earlier this week by the the Florida AHCA “totally debunks the bogus media narratives that were out there.” 

“Why are they doing narrative?” he asked he said of news organizations. “They’re not doing it because they really care about that,” he said. “They’re doing it to try to impugn Hope Florida. They’re trying to smear this program. They don’t like working with the faith based community.”

This story has been updated to reflect House Speaker Daniel Perez’s comments.