DeSantis Administration Diverted Medical Funding for Anti-Abortion and Cannabis Ads, Investigation Finds

The administration of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was already embroiled in scandal about diverted funds as of this spring, when it was revealed that $10 million in taxpayer money had been diverted from a Medicaid settlement from healthcare provider Centene to a non-profit founded by none other than DeSantis’ wife Casey, and ultimately used to pay for anti-cannabis TV advertising. Now, however, The Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times have seemingly blown the lid off an even wider misappropriation scheme in a deep investigation, in which a total of more than $35 million was funneled from child welfare and medical funds directly toward falsehood-riddled television advertising to defeat–what else?–Florida’s abortion and cannabis amendments (Amendment 4 and Amendment 3, respectively) in the 2024 general election. Both amendments were very narrowly defeated, earning 56-57% of the vote, less than the 60% threshold necessary to become law.

The previously known $10 million from Centene was reportedly sent to non-profit Hope Florida, which was founded by DeSantis’ wife Casey, intended to assist Florida residents in moving off government assistance. That cash was then transferred to dark money political action groups, which sent the majority of it to a political committee campaigning against Amendment 4, to legalize recreational cannabis in the Sunshine State. Florida Republican lawmakers characterized the transaction as illegal with Florida Rep. Alex Andrade stating in the House at the time that “There’s no question that these were Medicaid funds, steered by the Governor’s chief of staff through secret and clandestine actions to his own political committee.” That specific case is currently the subject of an ongoing grand jury investigation.

The newly unveiled diverting of funds, meanwhile, could soon give that case some company. Of the total of $36.2 million identified in the newspapers’ investigation, roughly 79% of the money came from funds that were reserved for healthcare and child welfare, which the DeSantis administration seemingly making the argument through their actions that TV advertising against abortion or against cannabis was serving those aims in exceedingly oblique fashion. Notably, none of the television ads, which blanketed airwaves in the weeks leading up to the election, actually referenced Amendment 3 or Amendment 4 directly, likely due to the fact that these funds were earmarked specifically for non-politicized public health causes and organizations. The state, meanwhile, called the TV spots “public service announcements,” which just so coincidentally happened to air directly in advance of an election involving those topics. How convenient. Related: A Florida state health department official who resigned last year afterward accused DeSantis of directing him to send threatening letters to TV stations, threatening them with legal action if they didn’t stop airing pro-Amendment 4 ads.

What kinds of organizations had funds diverted away? Well, take the Department of Children and Families–it had $1.1 million used from its child protection program to place ads according to the Miami Herald investigation, money that was sent to anti-cannabis advertising rather than protecting kids in foster care. Another $4 million, meanwhile, was culled from Florida’s opioid settlement trust fund and directed to the same advertising. That money, earmarked to directly aid drug-addicted Floridians, was supposed to be spent in “communities that are disproportionately impacted by opioid or other substance misuse.” It’s a stretch to think that this would apply to anti-cannabis TV advertising meant to influence the public against a ballot measure to legalize marijuana.

Experts contacted by the Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times investigators, presented with the data gathered, described the actions of the DeSantis administration as skirting state law in order to clearly influence the election results. Professor emeritus Kenneth Goodman, former director of medical ethics at the University of Miami, is quoted calling the TV spots an effort “undermining the will of voters by diverting resources intended for a vulnerable population,” saying that “this is corruption at the expense of children.”

All that, in order to air TV ads claiming that cannabis is “often tied to domestic abuse.” What a great use of Florida tax dollars, right?

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