Darren Soto calls for a federal investigation into the scandal involving an organization founded by the Florida Governor’s wife

El Nuevo Día: Darren Soto calls for a federal investigation into the scandal involving an organization founded by the Florida Governor’s wife

This article was written by José Delgado and published on September 2, 2026

Democratic members of Congress Darren Soto and Kathy Castor renewed their call for a federal investigation into the scandal at Florida that misappropriated $8.5 million in public funds from an organization launched by the governor’s wife Ron DeSantis to political committees.

In a letter sent Monday to the head of the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of the Department of Health, March Bell, and the administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Mehmet Oz, and Puerto Rican representatives Soto and Castor—all elected from Florida districts—urged federal authorities to investigate the misappropriation of funds granted to the Hope Florida Foundation, an organization founded by Casey DeSantis.

Federal lawmakers from Florida made the claim in a letter sent on Monday and released on Tuesday, after a grand jury confirmed the irregularities.

“Although we cannot prove who is responsible, we clearly see that taxpayer money was misused for political purposes, and we would like to see changes implemented to prevent this from happening again,” the grand jury concluded without naming anyone.

Casey DeSantis founded the Hope Florida Foundation in 2021, at a time when it was thought she would seek to succeed her husband, who is finishing his two terms as governor this year and is ineligible for reelection.

Congressmen Soto and Castor noted that in May 2025, they originally requested a federal investigation due to concerns raised by a $67 million agreement reached by the Florida state government with the company Centene regarding the Medicaid. Under that agreement, $10 million was awarded to the Hope Florida Foundation.

Of those funds, $8.5 million were transferred, through nonprofit organizations, to political action committees (PACs) controlled by James Uthmeier, in support of a campaign by the governor against a measure—which would go to a referendum—to legalize marijuana.

Uthmeier, who is currently the state attorney general, was then Governor DeSantis’s chief of staff.

Federal lawmakers stated that the grand jury report indicates that Uthmeier’s PAC transferred $7 million to the Florida Republican Party and $1.23 million to the Florida Freedom Fund, another PAC controlled by Governor DeSantis’s former chief advisor.

“The report provides important context regarding the timing of these financial transactions during the deadly hurricanes Helene and Milton, and suggests that the state may have taken advantage of the chaos and confusion on the ground to gain political capital, while Floridians were suffering the effects of the destruction and devastation caused by consecutive natural disasters,” the Democratic congressmen stated.

In their letter, Soto and Castor asked federal officials to clarify whether the Florida government violated federal law “and whether it fully complied with the legal and regulatory framework of CMS” and Medicaid, among other programs.

In that regard, they urged CMS officials and the federal Office of Health Inspector General to “seriously consider the new information that has come to light in this case and to provide full transparency regarding any involvement by the federal government with the state” of Florida in this scandal.