Florida House halts Hope Florida investigation

After weeks of investigation, a authorities House person said Thursday his sheet is halting a probe into a instauration linked to First Lady Casey DeSantis’ signature economic-assistance program, Hope Florida.

Rep. Alex Andrade, a Pensacola Republican who chairs the House Health Care Budget Subcommittee, announced the determination aft the Hope Florida Foundation’s lawyer, Jeff Aaron, and leaders of nonprofits that received $5 cardinal grants from the instauration refused to look earlier the panel.

Andrade has spent weeks scrutinizing the foundation’s receipt of $10 cardinal arsenic portion of a $67 cardinal ineligible colony that Centene, Florida’s largest Medicaid managed-care company, reached past autumn with the Agency for Health Care Administration.

After receiving the wealth from the settlement, the instauration gave $5 cardinal grants to Secure Florida’s Future, a nonprofit tied to the Florida Chamber of Commerce, and Save our Society from Drugs. Mark Wilson, the president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce, besides serves arsenic president of Secure Florida’s Future. Amy Ronshausen, the enforcement manager of the Drug Free America Foundation, besides serves arsenic enforcement manager of Save Our Society from Drugs

The groups wrong days made contributions to Keep Florida Clean, a governmental committee headed by James Uthmeier, who was past Ron DeSantis’ main of unit and is present authorities lawyer general. Keep Florida Clean fought a projected law amendment successful November that would person allowed recreational usage of marijuana.

During a little gathering Thursday, Andrade laid retired a timeline of the colony and the roles Uthmeier and Aaron — a adjacent state of Uthmeier and a subordinate of the governor’s interior ellipse — played successful steering wealth to the instauration and the nonprofits.

“We are not judges oregon prosecutors. While I americium firmly convinced that James Uthmeier and Jeff Aaron engaged successful a conspiracy to perpetrate wealth laundering and ligament fraud, and that respective parties played a relation successful the misuse of $10 cardinal successful Medicaid funds, we arsenic legislators volition not beryllium the ones making the eventual charging decisions,” said Andrade, who aboriginal told reporters helium has had “discussions” with the U.S. Department of Justice astir the transactions.

Aaron lashed retired astatine Andrade, an attorney, successful a societal media station aft the meeting.

“Now I person much clip to draught my defamation suit and barroom complaint. @RAlexAndradeFL should beryllium ashamed of himself. I anticipation determination are members of the legislature with the courageousness to basal up and telephone for this ridiculous behaviour to end,” Aaron posted connected X.

Jeremy Redfern, a spokesperson for Uthmeier, said Andrade’s accusations were baseless.

“These ridiculous allegations are mendacious and not based connected immoderate judicial uncovering oregon evidentiary record,” Redfern said successful a statement.

Andrade’s behaviour “not lone surpasses what should beryllium due decorum betwixt Florida officials but besides represents imaginable ineligible ramifications for the representative,” Redfern warned.

The House probe became a flashpoint successful a feud betwixt House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, and the governor, who has staunchly defended the Hope Florida program. The program, launched by the archetypal lady, is rooted successful the Department of Children and Families and operates crossed respective agencies done “Hope navigators” that assistance link radical and families successful request with faith-based oregon assemblage services. The programme besides operates a hotline.

The politician and Casey DeSantis held a quality league Thursday greeting successful St. Augustine soon aft Andrade’s sheet met. They were joined by Hope navigators and radical who said the programme had provided captious assistance to their families.

Speaking to reporters aft the quality conference, the politician accused unidentified House leaders and “lefty journalists” of trying to “impugn” the program.

“The world is this has done an tremendous magnitude of good. I americium arrogant of the program, crockery to nuts,” DeSantis said.

DeSantis besides suggested that Casey DeSantis, who is mulling a imaginable tally for politician adjacent year, is being targeted due to the fact that “they presumption her arsenic a threat.”

Andrade has requested galore documents from DeSantis’ bureau and the Agency for Health Care Administration astir the Medicaid colony agreement, the grants and different transactions. He’s besides asked Wilson and Ronshausen for details astir the grants.

Andrade said his sheet volition proceed to excavation into the DeSantis administration’s spending and different issues erstwhile lawmakers instrumentality to Tallahassee for committee meetings this fall. The 2025 legislative league is scheduled to extremity adjacent week.

“I’m not a authoritative oregon an FBI agent. I cognize present that I volition ne'er spot Gov. DeSantis again with payer money, fto unsocial Medicaid money. So that’s going to framework my policymaking decisions until I’m done successful nationalist office,” helium said.

Aaron told Andrade this week helium was “disappointed” that helium had to diminution to look earlier the sheet due to the fact that immoderate of the foundation’s committee members did not waive their attorney-client privilege with him.

In an email to Andrade aboriginal Thursday morning, Ronshausen besides said she “must decline” to appear.

“I indispensable bash truthful to sphere each privileges connected behalf of SOS (Save our Society from Drugs), legally oregon otherwise,” she said.

Wilson besides sent Andrade a lengthy email Thursday noting that, during a gathering earlier this month, Wilson pointed the lawmaker to nationalist accusation astir his nonprofit’s involvement.

“Because I already person shared what I americium capable to share, and accordant with my work to support and uphold the rights of my enactment and its donors, I bash not judge a further treatment would beryllium productive oregon a bully usage (of) the committee’s time,” Wilson wrote. “Further enquiry into these topics is apt to re-address matters implicating the law rights and privileges of Secure Florida’s Future.”

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