Florida Grand Jury Finds DeSantis Admin Misused $10M; Yaworsky Signed Off on it

A Florida grand jury found that Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration “misappropriated” $10 million in taxpayer money it diverted to a charity connected to his wife, but the grand jury declined to file criminal charges due to a lack of evidence indicating who specifically was responsible.

DeSantis on Thursday did not dispute the legitimacy of the secret grand jury report obtained and published online by CBS News Miami, but he insisted no laws were broken and said whoever leaked the sealed documents would face “consequences.”

The Leon County grand jury completed its report in January on investigations into Hope Florida, the charity started in 2021 by Florida first lady Casey DeSantis. Despite the lack of charges, the report ignited a new round of criticism aimed at DeSantis and other top state Republicans over the charity receiving $10 million from a state Medicaid settlement intended to help poor children get health insurance.

David Jolly, the Democratic nominee for governor, called for the grand jury probe to be reopened. He faces Republican Byron Donalds in November. DeSantis, under Florida law, cannot seek a third term.

The grand jury report found that four state officials, including Florida Insurance Commissioner Michael Yaworsky, had signed off on the transfer of settlement funds. Yaworsky appeared to have some initial concerns about the funding plan.

“Michael Yaworsky is a member of the Florida Bar and the Insurance Commissioner for the State of Florida,” reads the report, posted online by CBS Miami. “He was aware of Centene as an insurance company that was authorized to operate in Florida, and it is due to that relationship that he became one of the four signatories to the settlement agreement…”

The agreement was brought to Yaworsky’s attention by Cody Ferrill, DeSantis’ deputy chief of staff. The commissioner noted the atypical nature of the money earmarked for Hope Florida and that it was not going to general revenue for the state. He forwarded it for further review to his general counsel, Joe Hart, and discussed it with Deputy Attorney General John Guard, the report explained.

“After consulting with both and being advised there was nothing contrary to law about the settlement agreement, he elected to sign the settlement agreement,” the grand jury noted.

— Insurance Journal staff report

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The Hope Florida charity is supposed to help financially struggling families connect with churches and aid groups to help keep them off publicly-financed assistance programs. The $10 million was instead moved to political action committees that used the money to oppose a 2024 statewide ballot measure that would have legalized marijuana for adults in the state.

DeSantis opposed the measure, and it fell just short of the 60% supermajority it needed to become law.

“Despite our finding that the money was misappropriated, we find insufficient evidence to charge anyone criminally,” the report concluded.

The grand jury said no one would take responsibility for sending the money to the charity or had any memory of who did.

“We recognize that this would be an impediment to criminal prosecution,” the report noted. “While we can’t prove who is responsible, we can plainly see that taxpayer money was misused for political purposes and we would like to see changes made to prevent this from happening again.”

The grand jury report found that four state officials, including the state’s insurance commissioner, had signed off on the transfer of settlement funds. The report concluded that James Uthmeier, who was DeSantis’ chief of staff at the time, “was in a position of authority over those involved in settling,” and that his Keep Florida Clean PAC was the prime recipient of the $10 million. The grand jury said then-state Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office knew of the plans to divert the money. She was later appointed by DeSantis to the U.S. Senate.

Uthmeier and Moody are both seeking reelection.

In a news conference last week, Uthmeier suggested Democrats were behind the grand jury report leak and called renewed interest in its findings “a politically motivated hoax.”

In a post on X on Thursday, Moody said her office was only one of several agencies that signed off on the initial settlement, and “had no knowledge of how funds would be spent” by Hope Florida, state lawmakers or any other group.

Top photo: Casey and Ron DeSantis at a 2024 Florida Children and Families Summit. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP)