A leaked grand jury report has concluded that the administration of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis "misappropriated" $10 million in funds by sending them to the Hope Florida Foundation, an initiative aligned with the governor's wife, Casey DeSantis. The report, obtained by CBS News, stated that while the money was misused for political purposes, there was insufficient evidence to pursue criminal charges against any individual.
"Despite our finding that the money was misappropriated, we find insufficient evidence to charge anyone criminally," the report read, according to CBS News. "Nobody will take responsibility for deciding the $10 million of taxpayer money would go to Hope Florida… or had any memory of who made it."
The funds originated from a $67 million settlement Florida received from the healthcare firm Centene Corporation and a state agency for overbilling taxpayers for prescription drugs. The grand jury report noted that after the $10 million was directed to Hope Florida, it flowed to the Republican Party of Florida and two political action committees associated with James Uthmeier, who was DeSantis' chief of staff at the time and now serves as Florida's Attorney General.
These funds were subsequently used to oppose Amendment 3 in 2024, a ballot measure that would have legalized recreational marijuana for adults in Florida. The amendment was ultimately voted down.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' communications director, Alex Lanfranconi, dismissed the report as a "baseless smear" and stated that "if any confidential grand jury report was leaked to the press, that's the only crime committed."
DeSantis himself has previously characterized the controversy as a "hoax," telling reporters that he was not involved in the settlement agreement but was pleased with how it was handled.
The grand jury report identified Uthmeier as a key figure in the redirection of the funds. "Testimony identified him as having involvement in directing the money after it went to Hope Florida. Testimony also revealed that Mr. Uthmeier’s Keep Florida Clean, a political action committee, was the prime recipient of the majority of the $10 million taxpayer funds," the report stated, per CBS News.
Additionally, the report criticized a deputy in then-Attorney General Ashley Moody's office for authorizing the settlement agreement without conducting due diligence to ensure the proper appropriation of taxpayer funds. Uthmeier, in a press conference, called the report a "politically motivated witch hunt" and asserted that "there was no probable cause found that anybody did anything wrong."
Neither Gov. DeSantis, Moody, nor Uthmeier were called to testify before the grand jury. The report lamented a lack of oversight to ensure the proper use of taxpayer money, as the settlement agreement did not impose restrictions on the funds. The grand jury recommended that the Florida Legislature enact a law requiring all state-received funds to be deposited into the General Fund, with consequences for violations.