A.G. Gancarski
It was legal and it was right.
That’s the defense Florida’s Attorney General is making after he worked last year to kill an amendment that would have legalized recreational pot with the help of $10 million donated to the Hope Florida Foundation from a Medicaid settlement.
“I worked in committees on the outside, which the Supreme Court has said government officials can do. Government officials certainly have a right, maybe even a duty, to protect the state against things like this that will change our laws and potentially harm us,” Attorney General James Uthmeier said on Standpoint, a podcast hosted by Gabe Groisman.
Uthmeier, who previously described the eight-figure sum as a “sweetener” in a larger settlement, dismissed as a “smear campaign” allegations that he worked to “misuse funds and things” by steering Medicaid settlement money to the Hope Florida Foundation through two pass-through committees. The majority of the money ended up in the Keep Florida Clean committee he chaired while he was still Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Chief of Staff.
“There’s nothing that stops outside entities from working with other (c)(4)s and nonprofits to fight in an issue campaign,” Uthmeier said. “You can’t use some of those funds for a candidate campaign, but we weren’t out there promoting a candidate. We were fighting against a harmful ideology.”
The money moved in a way that requires a flow chart to follow it.
The $10 million came from Centene to Hope Florida as part of a $67 million settlement for overbilling Medicaid.
From there, two political action committees (Secure Florida’s Future and Save Our Society from Drugs) requested $5 million each from the Hope Florida Foundation.
Money to Secure Florida’s Future was earmarked explicitly for a “long-term, targeted business partner recruitment strategy and public awareness campaign.”
The funds to Save Our Society from Drugs were intended for “developing and implementing strategies that directly address the substance use crisis facing our communities.”
After securing that money, the Uthmeier-chaired “Keep Florida Clean” political action committee got donations from the groups totaling $8.5 million.
Uthmeier has called concerns about the unorthodox spend, which resembles the transfers of money to support candidates in primaries, “politicized narratives.”
15 comments
Paul
May 28, 2025 at 5:38 pm
Don’t you have a duty to protect Florida from corrupt politicians who launder money?
FL Guy
May 28, 2025 at 7:09 pm
A lying ass hat with zero integrity.
Victoria Olson
May 28, 2025 at 7:18 pm
There is NOTHING LEGAL about what they did , the money should have been used for the original intentions to HELP PEOPLE.
EARL PITTS, Major Online Influncer, AMERICAN
May 28, 2025 at 8:21 pm
Good even”ting America,
Welp there you have it, America, our Next POTUS, Ron Desantis, proven beyond any doubt to be squeeky clean.
At this time, I, EARL PITTS, Major Online Influncer, AMERICAN, am hereby withholding my usual CHASTIZEMENT of Paul, FL Guy, and Victoria Olson, due to the fact these DOOK 4 BRAINS LEFTYS took such a brutal loss in the last MAGA POTUS ELECTION, you freaks have suffered quite enough.
I, EARL PITTS, Major Online Influncer, AMERICAN, understand that this “Hope Florida Foundation Hoax” was all you had and all 3 of you dweebs had hung your last hopes and dreams on your “FAKE NEWS” Hope Florida Foundation Fiction having something … anything … you could use against Ron & Casey.
Welp now that you know the truth I, EARL PITTS, Major Online Influncer, AMERICAN, have just one final statement of Truth, Justice, and The American Way to make.
“IT MUST $UCK TO BE YOU 3 LOOSERS”.
Thank you America, and Good even”ting again,
Yours Truley,
EARL PITTS, Major Online Influncer, AMERICAN
*queue Ultra Loud MAGA Patrioitic Music to further “WHIZZ-OFF & EN-RAGE Paul, FL Guy, and Victoria Olson*
Mary
May 28, 2025 at 10:16 pm
So the governor gave him money ( Medicaid) so in return he was to back the governor in the fight against pot. Sound like he was bought. Illegal as ….. same with chamber of commerce. 5 million to write a letter condemning hb6017, which the governor wants veto. Btw someone should look into his campaign contributions to see if doctors and insurance complains gave.
UTHLIAR
May 28, 2025 at 10:27 pm
Wow ! Admitted to conspiring with Meatball to stealing $10 million dollars from Floridians and using it to “protect us” from pot ? Or was it the hemp industry that donated millions to Meatball’s PACs.
LOCK UTHMEIER UP first for stupidity, and second for being a thief!
EARL PITTS AMERICAN
May 29, 2025 at 6:41 am
CHASTIZED
EARL PITTS AMERICAN
May 29, 2025 at 6:56 am
All Lefty’s are hereby ordered to “RELAX THEIR POLITICAL SPHINCTERS” in regards to this entire HOPE FLORIDA FOUNDATION issue, which had you Dook 4 Brains Leftys all squeeling like stuck pigs.
IN CLOSING:
As you all recall I, EARL PITTS AMERICAN, advised you early in this HOPE FLORIDA FOUNDATION dust up that it was nothing but a giant Leftist “NOTHING BURGER”.
LESSIONS LEARNED:
Going forward; remember, Leftys, it would behoove you, one & all, to aspire to being a loyal follower of Me, EARL PITTS AMERICAN, and my “Inside Politics” Golden Nuggetts of Sage Wisdom.
Thank you, EARL PITTS AMERICAN
*dont forget to hit the like button below and be sure to ring the bell so you will be notified when I, EARL PITTS AMERICAN, dispense more of my “Inside Politics” Golden Nuggetts of Sage Wisdom.*
epa
Ex-GOP But NEVER Again!
May 29, 2025 at 7:33 am
This guy Ulthmeier — besides being as ugly as a hangover — is a thoroughly corrupt, self-aggrandizing, typical mediocre Tallahassee hack. The voters will send him packing — maybe to prison because this is a $10 million theft — come next November. Asshat.
Thou Shalt Not Steal
May 29, 2025 at 7:53 am
Credit to Republicans, who like Trump, brag about their misdeeds and think ‘so what’ makes it acceptable.
You misdirected public funds for a political purpose, and now claim it was OK under color of law. It wasn’t. You belong in jail. You orchestrated a fraud because you and your boss used Florida taxpayer funds like a piggy bank for your personal views. Most would go to jail for something like that.
dope florida?
May 29, 2025 at 9:12 am
So much for letting the voters decide what they want in their State Constitution. Basically, he is saying that he knows what is best for the citizens and doesn’t believe that we have the right to govern ourselves. As I understand his statements in this article, he is silent on the legality of the initial transfer to Hope Florida of the settlement money. In my opinion that provision of the settlement was illegal and that money belonged to the State of Florida.
Dave
May 29, 2025 at 10:25 am
Imagine if a city used grant money or taxpayer dollars to “inform voters” using this kind of “advertisement or political commuication”.
Actually, you don’t have to imagine it. It is strictly prohibited under Florida Law ch. 2022-56.
Larry Gillis, Director-at-Large, Libertarian Party of Florida
May 29, 2025 at 10:53 am
Why didn’t the Governor appoint some colorless “lifer” as the interim unelected Attorney General?
As it is, he has appointed a political operative, one whose instincts sniff out the political implications of a situation before anything else. Uthmeier has obvious skills, but being Attorney General is not one of them. This is not good, for a variety of excellent reasons.
MH/Duuuval
May 29, 2025 at 7:41 pm
Has Dee jumped in to defend Uthmeier, or will the latter be left to twist in the wind, becoming the fall guy?