Nothing captures Ron DeSantis, like the Florida hope scandal. It tells everything about how our governor thinks and acts. Now, what we see as a tool to create a family dynasty in Tallahassee might oppose it.
This is the background:
The Desantis administration deserted $10 million from its settlement with vendors last year to state-created charities. The funds were part of the $67 million state recovered from a claims dispute with Florida’s biggest Medicaid contractor. But instead of repaying all $67 million to taxpayers, the administration challenged $10 million to the funding division of Hope Florida, a charity led by First Lady Casey DeSantis.
A few weeks later, the charity gave the two nonprofits $10 million, sending almost all of them to a political committee overseen by Desantis’ Chief of Staff. The committee was created to break Amendment 3, last year’s voting initiative, to legalize recreational marijuana, which DeSantis opposed. The majority of Florida voters supported the amendment, but they failed slightly to reach the required 60% threshold.
The House of Representatives began an investigation after Times/Herald reported that state and hoped Florida officials would not answer questions about the charity. Rep. Alex Andredo, a Pensacola Republican and lawyer who led the investigation, accused the “illegal” manipulation of “illegal” manipulation by “secretly redirecting” to the first women’s initiative. Congressman last week ended his whirlwind investigation and supported the threat of issuing subpoena in the case. “I’m leaving the rest of the investigation,” Andredo said, “to the FBI and the Department of Justice.”
Pam Bondi’s Department of Justice? Good luck with that.
However, no legal findings are necessary to realize a lot here. Started by Casey DeSantis in 2021, Hope Florida aims to exclude Floridians from government aid and services. These groups are supposed to use guidance and connections to lift recipients out of poverty. This replaces DeSantis’ welfare.
However, staff working in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives found that Florida’s desire to raise funds is not in compliance with state laws governing surveillance, ethics, or fundraising. The foundation never made the names of its donors or the churches or nonprofit organizations receiving the funds. He ignored the journalist’s record-breaking requests and rejected a Times/Herald reporter who visited the foundation’s headquarters to confirm the group’s tax returns. State officials related to the charity have also refused to answer questions.
This should surprise anyone. Carelessness to detail is a characteristic of DeSantis’ management. And whether it expels officially elected prosecutors, deports immigrants to other states, revives state militias, or takes over Florida’s honorary college, this governor deals with all his home-built crises in the usual way: hiding, biasing, attacking, repeating. That’s why lawmakers in his own party are tired of him.
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When asked by the Times/Herald, Ron DeSantis assaulted him why the foundation had not filed his tax return. “We’re not going to make sure you’re filling up a good program with something like this,” he said. DeSantis attacked what he described the First Lady initiative as a “cabal” of the House leadership for “manufacturing smears.” As the standoffs intensified, the DeSantis-related committee blew texts to voters, denounced Republican lawmakers of “working with Democrats to stumble Florida’s success.”
As Florida ponders the governor’s run in 2026, those who thought Florida wanted Casey DeSantis to seriously enhance the political profile of Casey DeSantis. After all, the state has released very few details on the program’s performance. Florida also relies heavily on government machines to separate people from public aid. And DeSantis is not the first conservative of Tallahassee’s nonprofit organization as a savior from the government’s bureaucracy. It’s no wonder this year lawmakers seriously fought back against codifying the arrangement under the governor’s office.
It’s a shame the house didn’t continue to pursue research. But that doesn’t stop Tallahassee’s state attorneys and Florida bars from picking up the baton. There are far too many sleazy details, including civil servants, millions of taxes, and the results of a statewide referendum.
I don’t think anyone is responsible. But scandals are one reminder. Casey DeSantis’s biggest political responsibility is not what he wants to do with Florida. It’s her husband. In that sense, charities may still have lasting impact.
