Rep. Kathy Castor calls for federal investigation into Hope Florida
TAMPA, Fla. - There are new calls for a federal investigation into Hope Florida, the program spearheaded by Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis.
Two members of Congress now say the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services should look into how $10 million in Medicaid funds went to political action committees fighting for Governor Ron DeSantis' political goals.
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Big picture view:
Calls from Democratic Reps. Kathy Castor and Darren Soto came after the governor and first lady visited Brandon this week and highlighted anecdotal stories of the good Hope Florida has done.
"Many of the young adults that I serve are facing immediate needs, a need for stable housing, a job, and a need direction," said Hope Navigator Jasmin Johnson.
Dig deeper:
But, state house members are still smarting over the lack of proof that the program can offer about the claim that 30,000 people have been weaned off public assistance.
State Rep. Alex Andrade (R-Pensacola) shut down an investigation after Hope Florida's attorney and the heads of the two non-profits that got $10 million of state settlement money – that were first given to Hope Florida – refused to answer questions.
"They want to govern by press conference, apparently," said Andrade. "There's no documentation backing up anything they're claiming."
What they're saying:
In calling for a federal investigation, Castor said the transfer of funds from a state settlement for Medicaid recipients who were overbilled, to political action committees controlled by James Uthmeier, the governor's chief of staff and now state attorney general, is potentially criminal.
Castor pointed out members of DeSantis' own party led the state inquiry.
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"It demonstrates that this is very serious, that you cannot divert Medicaid funds intended to take care of the health and well-being of Floridians for political purposes, and to hide it in the way that they did."
She has asked the Inspector General at the Department of Health and Human Services to do the inquiry, citing the bipartisan investigation in Tallahassee and pointing out that the law said Medicaid money must be used for Medicaid.
She sees no reason Republicans in Washington, given their eagerness to find government waste, wouldn't investigate Hope Florida.
"Everyone is talking about how government can be more efficient," said Castor, "and how we safeguard these scarce public dollars. So I think that's what's going to carry the day."
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The other side:
The governor and first lady have said the attacks on Hope Florida are political, because house members are against a potential Casey DeSantis campaign to succeed her husband.
They said Hope Florida will continue operating under the Department of Children and Families after state lawmakers declined to honor the governor's push to enshrine the program in state law. That's why the inquiry from the house started in the first place.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered by FOX 13's Evan Axelbank.
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