JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Hope Florida grand jury report may not have resulted in any criminal charges, but less than a week after its release, it’s already inspiring changes to Florida law.
The report found $10 million paid to the Hope Florida Foundation as part of a Medicaid overbilling settlement between the State of Florida and Centene was misappropriated.
The money was then funneled through a series of non-profits into a political committee that fought the recreational marijuana ballot initiative in 2024.
“Any reasonable Floridian who reads the grand jury report would come away ashamed of the actions that were improperly undertaken,” said State Senator Don Gaetz (R-Pensacola).
Senator Gaetz told Action News Jax he is now in talks with Democratic lawmakers about a bipartisan bill that would make it clear money from settlements with the state cannot be diverted to third-party organizations, and attach clear criminal penalties for violations.
“I look forward to fixing this problem. I wish it never would have occurred, but my job now is to make sure that we prevent this kind of scandal from ever occurring in our state again,” said Gaetz.
Action News Jax asked Governor Ron DeSantis, whose administration crafted the settlement at the heart of the grand jury investigation, whether he would support Gaetz’s proposal.
“Well, I think the fact that people are talking about that is an acknowledgment that the pre-suit settlement that Centene did was legally sound,” DeSantis responded.
The Governor also did not indicate the legislation is something he’d want to see want to addressed ahead of the November Election.
He even cautioned lawmakers against tightening restrictions on settlement dollars, arguing there is precedent for third parties getting payouts from state settlements.
“And in fact, other states had done it even with Centene settlements where there was a third party,” said DeSantis. ”So, I think that it’s something that is a useful tool for states to be able to have.”
Short of a special session, it will be several months before we likely see any movement on this issue.
Next year’s session begins in March, two months after Governor DeSantis is set to leave office.
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