Prosecutors open investigation related to Hope Florida Foundation
[May 21, 2025]
By KATE PAYNE
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Prosecutors have opened an investigation
related to the Hope Florida Foundation, the nonprofit behind the welfare
program that has been touted as the signature achievement of first lady
Casey DeSantis.
A public records custodian in the office of Second Judicial Circuit
State Attorney Jack Campbell confirmed the existence of “an open,
on-going investigation” Tuesday in response to a records request from
The Associated Press. The investigation was first reported by the Miami
Herald/Tampa Bay Times.
Questioned by reporters at an event Tuesday in Tampa highlighting the
work of Hope Florida, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis defended the
initiative, which uses state employees to help connect Floridians in
need with faith institutions and community-based nonprofits and wean
them off government assistance.
“I believe in this program deeply and I stand by it 100%,” DeSantis
said.
“This is a rewiring of the way that government operates,” the first lady
said.
“It’s a model for the nation. Instead of saying, ‘Here’s a handout,’
let’s give you hope and a hand up to live up to your God-given
potential," she added.
State lawmakers in DeSantis' own party have been scrutinizing the
program and its nonprofit foundation, which gave $10 million from a
state Medicaid settlement to two nonprofits. Those groups in turn gave
millions to a political committee, chaired by DeSantis’ then-chief of
staff, that campaigned against a failed referendum on recreational
marijuana.
On Tuesday, Mark Wilson, the president of the Florida Chamber of
Commerce and the chair of one of the nonprofits that received the
grants, appeared at the event with the governor and first lady to
highlight businesses that are collaborating with Hope Florida.
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Florida first lady Casey DeSantis listens to Gov. Ron DeSantis
during a panel discussion at the 2024 Florida Children and Families
Summit at the JW Marriott Grand Lakes in Orlando, Fla., Sept. 4,
2024. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP, File)
“Folks, we are just getting started,” Wilson said.
“Imagine the connection that happens when churches and employers and
government works together,” he added.
Last month, Republican state Rep. Alex Andrade wrapped up the
investigation he had been spearheading into Hope Florida, saying he
would leave the rest of the inquiry to “the FBI and Department of
Justice.” Andrade has alleged that the flow of funds from the foundation
to the nonprofits and on to the political committees amounts to
“conspiracy to commit money laundering and wire fraud."
DeSantis has dismissed the investigation of Hope Florida as a
politically motivated smear against his wife, who he's floated as his
potential successor when he terms out in 2026.
“I think that everything that’s been thrown at it is pure politics,”
DeSantis said.
___ Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for
America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit
national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to
report on undercovered issues.
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