JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – As Governor Ron DeSantis continued to push back on Thursday against criticism surrounding a $10 million donation to Hope Florida, a charity led by his wife, Casey DeSantis, a political analyst weighed in on whether this could affect her gubernatorial chances if she chooses to enter the 2026 race.
The controversy around Hope Florida continued to grow this week after an investigation by the Tampa Bay Times and the Miami Herald said last year’s $10 million donation to the charity was part of a Medicaid settlement, involving a healthcare company called Centene, that owed millions of dollars to state and federal taxpayers.
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According to UNF Political Science Professor Michael Binder, the allegations are both political and serious.
“Potentially funneling tax dollars, what are really essentially tax dollars, into this process, is pretty problematic,” Binder said.
Binder said the bipartisan scrutiny into allegations that DeSantis misused public funds could hurt Casey DeSantis’ image if she enters the race for governor in 2026.
“To take that money and then literally funnel it through your wife’s charity to a political action committee run by your chief of staff to sync a ballot measure. It’s not great, it doesn’t look good. It looks really bad. And not only that, you know, there’s questions about legality,” Binder said.
Gov. DeSantis addressed the Times/Herald report at a news conference in St. Augustine, citing a letter from the Agency for Health Care Administration that he said exonerates him and his wife.
“Why are they doing the narrative? It’s because they are trying to impugn Hope Florida, some of these left journalists don’t like it, they don’t like her working with the faith-based community, some of these people view it as a way to attack the first lady, they see her as a threat,” DeSantis said.
The governor called the report “fabricated” and part of a media narrative. However, some Republicans like Rep. Alex Andrade and Democrat Rep. Angie Nixon also disputed the governor’s claims.
“If true, it’s a slap in the face. That money should’ve helped people struggling with mental health and Medicaid access. It’s not a fabricated story — he got caught red-handed," Nixon said.
Lawmakers have ended their probe into the Hope Florida charity, but political analysts said this issue threatens to haunt the First Family.
Binder added that they anticipate SUPEP PACS, supporting Donald Trump’s pick for Florida Governor, Byron Donalds, will be using the controversy in political ads as early as this summer.