Expand / Collapse search
☰

Lawmakers left 'astonished' during Hope Florida hearing as AG threatens subpoena

By
Published  April 15, 2025 5:22pm EDT
Florida
FOX 13 News

Florida lawmakers hold hearing about Hope Florida

FOX 13's Evan Axelbank reports.

The Brief

    • Florida lawmakers are threatening to subpoena top DeSantis Administration officials over funding related to Hope Florida.
    • Lawmakers want to know how money earmarked for Hope Florida ended up funding political groups affiliated with Gov. DeSantis.
    • DeSantis has called the investigations a "hoax."

FLORIDA, Fla. - The dustup around Hope Florida is growing as lawmakers threaten subpoenas to the top staff of the DeSantis Administration and the attorney general himself.

The foundation was the subject of a Tuesday hearing as legislators tried to figure out how money from a settlement with a healthcare company wound up feeding political groups fighting for the governor's agenda. 

"The public reporting has made evident that mistakes were made," said Hope Florida Chair Joshua Hay. 

What they're saying:

Committee Chair Alex Andrade really wanted to know what the attorney general knew and when.

RELATED: Florida governor and first lady celebrate Hope Florida in Pensacola 

"I want to know how involved he was and why he thought it was okay to use Medicaid money for campaign purposes," said Andrade. 

When asked if it was potentially illegal, he replied, "Yes." 

James Uthmeier was chief of staff to the governor when Andrade says Uthmeier's political action committee, Keep Florida Clean, got $5 million to fight last November's recreational marijuana amendment. 

Andrade is demanding receipts of all communications involving Hope Florida to figure out how money from a state Medicaid settlement made it from there into two political action committees and how it was not disclosed to legislators.

RELATED: Florida governor and first lady celebrate Hope Florida

"If they do not provide that information in a timely manner, we may be required to obtain that information with the use of subpoenas," said Andrade. 

Dig deeper:

Legislators did get some answers. 

Hope Florida's chair admitted he was appointed without being told of any goals, that Hope Florida has no staff, that there are no minutes of any meetings, no financial documents and that no board members signed conflict of interest forms. 

CLICK HERE:>>> Follow FOX 13 on YouTube

"I'm frankly astonished," said State Rep. Allison Tant (D-Tallahassee). "We've got funding that there are no answers to. I'm trying to wrap my head around how this happened." 

The other side:

At the same time the hearing was being held, the governor was in the committee chair's home district holding a press conference with First Lady Casey DeSantis, who hopes to use her involvement in finding Hope Florida in a potential campaign for governor.

CLICK HERE:>>> Follow FOX 13 on YouTube

The governor accused Andrade and his allies of kneecapping a fellow Republican and said Hope Florida's only goal is to help people wean off public assistance. 

Without providing backup documents, Hope Florida officials claim 30,000 people have been helped, saving taxpayers $9 million per month. 

"This is a manufactured hoax," said Governor Ron DeSantis. "And you have liberal media and liberal Democrats pushing this, and we have some of these leaders in the Florida house who are stabbing their constituents in the back."

Big picture view:

Andrade says there is no proof behind the governor's claims about how many Floridians Hope Florida has helped, and it's unclear whether they are taking credit for work state employees are already doing.               

He said it is bizarre that the governor considers them to be in the wrong when they're simply trying to do their legislative jobs by providing oversight of taxpayer dollars.

Hope Florida has a board meeting scheduled for Thursday.

The Source: FOX 13’s Evan Axelbank collected the information in this story.

WATCH FOX 13 NEWS:

STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA:

FloridaPoliticsRon DeSantis