TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) — Eyebrows continue to be raised against Hope Florida and its funding arm as reports surface about subpoenas and grand jury proceedings. Details remain private as the state Legislature considers what to do next.
Hope Florida, a program aimed at helping people escape government aid, has come under intense scrutiny last year over a mysterious money trail that began with a Medicaid settlement and ended with a political action committee.
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“This is the type of mudslinging that people hate, and it’s the kind of things that make people really cynical about politics,” said state Rep. Fentris Driskell (D-Tampa).
In May, the Tampa Bay Times and the Miami Herald first reported on a public criminal investigation into the scandal.
8 On Your Side followed up with Leon County State’s Attorney Jack Campbell, who said, “No, I have no comment on that at all. In fact, everything the grand jury does is confidential.”
Last Congress, state Rep. Alex Andrade (R-Pensacola) led a House committee investigation into the matter, but when it abruptly ended, he turned over all the information he had to prosecutors.
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“If they’re not going to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars, if Governor DeSantis doesn’t care, then they need to step up their executive oversight and guidance goals to at least protect taxpayer dollars,” Andrade said.
But DeSantis insisted there was no basis for an investigation and that it was all politically motivated.
“I want you to understand what happened. He took the documents and turned them over to the prosecutor’s office. It was not an organized investigation. It was a concocted political operation,” DeSantis said.
State lawmakers now say they can put in place legal guardrails to prevent something like this from happening again, but there are questions about whether they will do so.
