Will lawmakers act on Hope Florida grand jury's call for change? Maybe

Romy Ellenbogen and Liv Caputo, Tampa Bay Times on Sep 1, 2026

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TALLAHASSEE — Florida lawmakers may answer a grand jury’s call to change state law after the jurors found that Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration misused $10 million in taxpayer dollars.

The leaked grand jury report, first obtained by CBS Miami, didn’t recommend charging anyone with a crime but said the state set up a Medicaid settlement to “circumvent” laws that govern how those dollars are used.

The settlement agreement gave $10 million to the Hope Florida Foundation. That money ended up in an anti-marijuana political committee controlled by DeSantis’ then-chief of staff James Uthmeier and was part of the DeSantis administration’s multimillion-dollar ad blitz against two constitutional amendments.

The Legislature was never notified about the money from the settlement, according to the report. The grand jury said a criminal case would be difficult to prove because prominent witnesses did not name who was responsible for diverting the money.

Still, the jurors concluded: “The Florida Legislature should enact a law to prevent this situation from occurring,” including by establishing “real consequences” for officials who break the law.

Any action will be in the hands of incoming legislative leaders, Republicans Sen. Jim Boyd and Rep. Sam Garrison.

When asked whether he would consider changing state laws, Speaker Designate Garrison said transparency is “non-negotiable” and pointed to the House’s previous investigation into Hope Florida, which is now closed.

“To the extent the laws of the state need to be strengthened to ensure the people’s elected representatives retain the power of the purse, the House has proven that we are ready and willing to do that,” Garrison said.

The jury’s report suggested the Legislature pass laws to require all future settlement money be deposited into general revenue or to create new restrictions for how direct support organizations like the Hope Florida Foundation can use taxpayer dollars.

Boyd’s office did not respond to a request for comment. But Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Pensacola, a former Senate president and chairperson of the chamber’s ethics committee, said he plans to file a “comprehensive” measure to address the grand jury’s recommendations.

Gaetz, in a text message, said he’s in the process of speaking to both Democrats and Senate leadership on the issue.

“My hope is that it will be bipartisan,” Gaetz said.

(Gaetz’ son, former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, criticized the DeSantis administration on social media after the report’s leak.)

DeSantis, at a news conference Monday, said the fact that legislators are considering changing the law proves his administration did nothing wrong. Everything done was allowed under current laws, he said.

Though the grand jury focused on the money that flowed through Hope Florida, the Times found last year that the DeSantis administration diverted more public money to political causes. That included at least $35 million in taxpayer money, including child welfare funds.

After, Florida’s GOP supermajority banned all state funds from being used to advocate for or against constitutional amendments.

Both the Democratic and GOP nominees to be Florida’s next governor said they would be supportive of change.

U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, the Republican nominee for governor, told reporters Monday that the report’s findings are “very concerning.”

“Now it’s about, are you going to change the law or not to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” Donalds, who had a fraught relationship with DeSantis through the primary, said. He said he does not believe there needs to be any more investigations into the flow of money through the Hope Florida Foundation.

“I think what’s most important right now is making sure that we retool,” Donalds said.

He suggested looking at how money is spent, who can sign contracts and “making sure the Legislature is keenly aware of how these dollars are being moved.”

David Jolly, the Democratic nominee for governor, said in a news conference Friday that he would like to work with Gaetz on legislative reform.

“The grand jury report, very unusually, recommended legislative solutions to the problem that they identified,” Jolly said. “I think the Legislature should pick that up right away.”

The next regular legislative session is scheduled to begin March 2.

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