Former U.S. Representative Matt Gaetz (R-FL) responded this week to a Florida’s Voice report that reads: “Gov. Ron DeSantis and Attorney General James Uthmeier are pushing back on a leaked grand jury report involving the Hope Florida Foundation, calling the controversy politically motivated and saying the only apparent crime was the leak itself.”
[NOTE: The Hope Florida Foundation, a nonprofit associated with an initiative championed by Florida’s First Lady Casey DeSantis in 2021, received $10 million from a $67 million state Medicaid settlement and then directed much of it through two nonprofits and ultimately into the state GOP and a political committee linked to Uthmeier while he was DeSantis’ chief of staff in 2024. According to CBS Miami, a grand jury report said the settlement money to Hope Florida was “misappropriated,” but no criminal charges were brought against anyone.]
Gaetz, who served as a top campaign adviser to Ron DeSantis during his 2018 gubernatorial campaign, replied by quoting the line, “It is a politically motivated attack to accuse us of stealing from the poor to fund our political committees,” and added, “Actually, fellas, what was politically motivated was your theft of public money. BECAUSE YOU TOOK THE MONEY FOR POLITICAL ADS!”
Matt Gaetz is right.
The DeSantis administration, at the direction of @JamesUthmeierFL, diverted, laundered, received and spent the money intended for medically-needy Florida kids on political campaigns.@AshleyMoodyFL approved the corrupt deal.
People should be in prison. https://t.co/pjM2QAn8pB
— Senator Carlos Guillermo Smith (@CarlosGSmith) August 28, 2026
Democratic Florida State Senator Carlos Guillermo Smith responded: “Matt Gaetz is right. The DeSantis administration, at the direction of @JamesUthmeierFL, diverted, laundered, received and spent the money intended for medically-needy Florida kids on political campaigns. @AshleyMoodyFL approved the corrupt deal. People should be in prison.”
Former Republican U.S. Representative David Jolly, who is running as a Democrat to replace a term-limited DeSantis, called the transfer “raw corruption,” but agreed with Governor DeSantis that his wife was not to blame.
Jolly said of the First Lady: “I think she was used.” He added, “I think Hope Florida was used. I think the governor’s right when he says it’s wrong to smear the first lady. I don’t think the first lady had anything to do with this.”
If elected as governor, Jolly said he would launch an investigation and suggest the Florida Legislature make changes recommended by the grand jury to prevent similar transfers in the future.