PENSACOLA, Fla. — Democratic candidate for Florida governor David Jolly is calling for the Hope Florida investigation to be reopened after a newly leaked grand jury report concluded that $10 million in taxpayer money was misappropriated for political purposes.
WATCH BELOW: Jolly calls for Hope Florida investigation to be reopened after leaked report
Jolly made the call Thursday, one day after CBS Miami obtained the sealed report, which details how the money moved from a Medicaid settlement into Hope Florida and, ultimately, political groups.
"It is clear, in fact, the grand jury finding says that it is clear that the spirit of the law was broken here," Jolly said.
Jolly said that, if elected governor, he would reopen the investigation and pursue additional fact-finding.
What the grand jury found
The controversy centers on a $67 million settlement between Florida and Centene, a healthcare company.
Under the settlement, $10 million went to the Hope Florida Foundation. Hope Florida is a program championed by first lady Casey DeSantis that connects people in need with charities, churches, and other community organizations.
The grand jury report says the decision to send the $10 million to Hope Florida was the original misappropriation.
The money was then divided into two $5 million grants to separate nonprofits.
According to the report, $8.5 million eventually went to Keep Florida Clean, a political committee chaired by James Uthmeier, now the state’s Attorney General and then Gov. Ron DeSantis' chief of staff.
The committee, Keep Florida Clean, subsequently sent $7 million to the Republican Party of Florida.
The grand jury included a flow chart tracing the money from Centene through Hope Florida and the nonprofits into political organizations.
Why there were no criminal charges
The grand jury did not recommend criminal charges.
The report says jurors could not prove who made the original decision to send the $10 million to Hope Florida.
It also says no one involved took responsibility for making that decision.
"Virtually everyone involved" was a lawyer, according to the report, and many witnesses said they acted based on the advice of other lawyers.
The grand jury said that made criminal prosecution more difficult.
Still, the jurors wrote that they could "plainly see" taxpayer money was misused for political purposes.
DeSantis rejects the grand jury's characterization
The governor strongly disputes that conclusion.
Thursday, at a press conference in Lake City, DeSantis said no Medicaid money was diverted and argued the $10 million was part of a private contribution tied to the settlement.
"The only crime that was apparent was whoever leaked the grand jury report," DeSantis said.
"There was no diversion of any Medicaid funds," he continued. "That was a private settlement where a company made a private contribution."
He accused critics of using the controversy to attack his wife and called the scrutiny politically motivated.
Uthmeier also pushed back Thursday, calling the investigation a politically motivated "witch hunt."
"Nobody did anything wrong here," Uthmeier said. "There was not even probable cause to move forward," he said. "This is a hoax."
Grand jury recommends changes
The grand jury also recommended that lawmakers change state law to prevent a similar situation from happening again.
Among its recommendations are clearer rules for how state-affiliated nonprofits can use taxpayer money, requirements to track and monitor such spending, and consequences for violations.
Jolly said those findings should not end the Hope Florida investigation.
If elected governor, he says he would use the powers of the governor's office to pursue additional answers about who made the decision to send the $10 million to Hope Florida and how the money ultimately reached political organizations.
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