In a virtual press conference Thursday, Florida Democratic leaders called for Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier and Sen. Ashley Moody to resign after a grand jury ruled they were part of a scheme to misappropriate $10 million meant for healthcare into political organizations.
Florida Sen. José Javier Rodriguez, James Uthmeier's opponent in the state attorney general race, said Uthmeier’s actions harmed the seniors and children who rely on Medicaid.
“This may well be the most brazen act of political corruption we have seen here in Florida,” Rodriguez said during Thursday’s press conference.
The scandal is bipartisan, he added, emphasizing the fact Uthmeier didn’t act alone.
The investigation focused on the disbursement of a Medicaid settlement between the state and Centene Corporation, which acts as an intermediary for government-sponsored and privately insured healthcare programs. Centene repaid over $67 million in 2024 after it was determined the corporation overcharged the state for prescription drugs under the Florida Healthy Kids program.
About $10 million of that settlement was diverted to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Hope Florida Foundation, a nonprofit intended to fund First Lady Casey DeSantis’ Hope Florida Initiative, which encourages people to seek aid from religious-based organizations instead of government assistance. Then, the money sent to the nonprofit was diverted to two political action committees and the Republican Party of Florida.
Originally, the entire repayment was meant to return to the state, but the agreement was changed to send funds to the nonprofit.
Medicaid is healthcare designated for millions of low-income Americans, including children, pregnant women and individuals with disabilities.
According to Florida Health Charts, just under 15% of Alachua County’s population — about 40,500 people — was enrolled in Medicaid in 2024.
Over 4.3 million people were enrolled in Medicaid across the state that same year.
Uthmeier, a UF graduate and UF law school professor, was DeSantis’ chief of staff at the time of the incident.
He is teaching a course on executive power for the Fall 2026 semester, according to the school’s course schedule.
A large portion of the funding was used to lobby against Amendment 3 in 2024, a citizen ballot initiative to legalize marijuana in Florida.
The amendment achieved just under 56% approval on the ballot, narrowly missing the 60% threshold needed to become law.
Over 66% of Alachua County residents voted in favor of the amendment, the highest percentage of any county in the state.
The grand jury concluded then-attorney general Moody knew of the plans and authorized her former chief deputy, John Guard, to sign the settlement approving the $10 million appropriation to the foundation.
According to the report, Guard told Moody his concerns about the plan, and the settlement was rewritten to show Desantis’ Agency for Health Care Administration directed the $10 million to Hope Florida rather than the attorney general.
In 2025, President Donald Trump nominated Guard to the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, but his appointment was held up by Republican Sen. Rick Scott after news of the $10 million to fund political ads against Amendment 3 became public.
“Millions in tax dollars for poor kids have no business funding political ads,” Scott said in a post to X.
Guard withdrew his appointment to the federal judiciary in January and DeSantis subsequently appointed him to be a judge for the state’s Second District Court of Appeal.
Moody’s opponent in the Florida senate race, Angie Nixon, said Moody is a “liar” and a “thief.”
“This is the ultimate betrayal of working families,” Nixon said about the funds during Thursday’s press conference. “Ashley Moody stole $10 million from children in Florida. Everyone involved in this, Ashley Moody included, should resign.”
Nixon said Moody and other perpetrators need to be held accountable, and she isn’t against pursuing criminal charges.
Despite the grand jury’s finding that the funds were misappropriated, the report said it found insufficient evidence to charge anyone criminally.
"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 report said.
Moody expressed disagreement with the grand jury’s findings.
“The AG’s office had no knowledge of how funds would be spent or played any role in how Hope Florida, AHCA or the legislature would spend the settlement money,” Moody wrote in a Thursday X post.
Moody said she wanted to set the record straight to avoid accusations being thrown around during an election season, she added.
Nikki Fried, the chair of the Florida Democratic Party, said the grand jury ruling shows the consequences of one-party control for 30 years.
“They’ve gotten greedy,” Fried said. “They feel like they’re above the law, that there is no checks and balances, that there is no accountability.”
Fried said the scandal will be a “major theme” for the party going forward.
Contact Logan McBride at lmcbride@alligator.org. Follow him on X @logandmcbride.
Logan McBride is a fourth-year journalism student and this summer's general assignment reporter. He previously served as a reporter for the city/county commission, K-12 education and track & field. Logan enjoys watching sports, going to the movies and playing basketball. When he's not working, you can find him on adventures with his friends, cuddling with his cat Max, or with his girlfriend.
