What the Hope Florida scandal says about Gov. DeSantis [View all]

The governor’s playbook: Block, deflect, attack, repeat.

Nothing captures Ron DeSantis like the Hope Florida scandal. It says everything about how our governor thinks and acts. Now, what some saw as a tool for creating a family dynasty in Tallahassee might do the opposite.

Here’s the background:

The DeSantis administration diverted $10 million from a settlement with a vendor last year to a state-created charity. The money was part of $67 million the state recouped from a billing dispute with Florida’s largest Medicaid contractor. But instead of returning all $67 million to taxpayers, the administration steered $10 million to the fundraising arm of Hope Florida, a charity spearheaded by first lady Casey DeSantis.

Weeks later, the charity gave $10 million to two nonprofits, who in turn sent nearly all that amount to a political committee overseen by DeSantis’ chief of staff. That committee was created to defeat Amendment 3, last year’s ballot initiative to legalize recreational marijuana, which DeSantis opposed. A majority of Florida voters supported the amendment, but it narrowly failed to reach the necessary 60% threshold.

The House launched an investigation after the Times/Herald reported that state and Hope Florida officials would not answer questions about the charity. Rep. Alex Andrade, a Pensacola Republican and attorney who headed the probe, accused the administration of committing an “illegal” maneuver by “redirecting money secretly” to the first lady’s initiative. House lawmakers ended their whirlwind probe last week, backing off the threat to issue subpoenas in the case. “I’ll leave the rest of the investigation,” Andrade said, “up to the FBI and Department of Justice.”

Pam Bondi’s Justice Department? Good luck with that.

https://www.tampabay.com/opinion/2025/04/29/tampa-pinellas-casey-desantis/