Grand Jury Reported Imminent in Hope Florida Scandal

Subpoenas are being issued to Gov. Ron DeSantis staffers over the Hope Florida spending scandal, as first reported by Florida Politics Publisher Peter Schorsch.

Former acting Attorney General John Guard and longtime staffer Kate Strickland are set to receive subpoenas, Schorsch reported Friday morning. James Holton, the former chairman of St. Petersburg-based Save Our Society from Drugs, one of the nonprofits that received millions from the Hope Florida Foundation, also was subpoenaed, according to an associate of Holton.

The subpoenas come as prosecutors in Tallahassee are convening a grand jury to meet during the week of Oct. 13, according to the Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times.

Hope Florida has been the subject of increasing scrutiny. Leaders of the organization faced lawmakers’ questions during the last Legislative Session.

Leon County prosecutors confirmed in May there was an open criminal investigation into the Hope Florida Foundation, according to media reports.

A $10 million Medicaid settlement was quietly sent to the Hope Florida Foundation — a charity led by First Lady Casey DeSantis meant to help Floridians get out of poverty. But the money was instead eventually funneled into the coffers of a political committee to fight last year’s marijuana legalization effort. That committee was under the control of DeSantis’ then-Chief of Staff, James Uthmeier, who has risen to be the state’s Attorney General.

DeSantis was outspoken against the ballot initiative, which was ultimately defeated in last year’s election.

“Simply put, there’s no question that these were Medicaid funds steered by the Governor’s Chief of Staff through secret and clandestine actions to his own political committee,” said Rep. Alex Andrade, a Republican who led the probe against Hope Florida during a subcommittee this year. “It’s readily apparent that a culture of neglect and competence and entitlement exists within the halls of the Governor’s Office.”

But the Governor and his wife, as well as Uthmeier, have defended themselves and argued they did nothing wrong.

“Government officials certainly have a right, maybe even a duty, to protect the state against things like this that will change our laws and potentially harm us,” Uthmeier said in May to justify the $10 million going through the Hope Florida Foundation to fight the marijuana ballot initiative.

–Gabrielle Russon, Florida Politics

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