Story thread · 2 reports / 1 sources

In Hope Florida scandal, Florida shorted $800,000, grand jury says

tampabay.com · 6dShare

TALLAHASSEE — A blistering grand jury report describing how top DeSantis administration officials diverted $10 million from a Medicaid settlement into Republican political activities is also notable for something that got just a brief mention — Florida was shortchanged by almost $1 million. State officials signed a deal with the Centene Corp. in September 2024 to reimburse Florida $67 million because of alleged overbilling on its Medicaid contract. The deal stipulated that $10 million would come off the top and go immediately to Hope Florida, the charity championed by first lady Casey DeSantis. Hope Florida got its $10 million, but the state only received $56.25 million — “which meant $800,000 of Medicaid reimbursement and taxpayer money was not recovered from Centene,” the grand jury found. Officials with the Agency for Health Care Administration, which runs the state’s Medicaid program, did not respond to requests for comment. Nor did Centene’s lawyers. The grand jury did not explain

First report: Resignations, job delays and more: the Hope Florida scandal fallout — tampabay.com, 7d