Grand jury: $10 million in taxpayer funds diverted for political use
Report finds money intended for poor children's health insurance used to defeat marijuana legalization
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
cover-grand-jury-report-1-1.jpg
Photograph: CBS News (embedded from source)
What this story says
- A state grand jury found the DeSantis administration "misappropriated" $10 million in taxpayer funds.
- The money, intended for health insurance for poor children, was diverted to the Hope Florida Foundation and then to political groups.
- These funds were used in 2024 to oppose Amendment 3, a citizen initiative to legalize marijuana in Florida.
- The grand jury found insufficient evidence to file criminal charges, citing a lack of memory regarding who made the diversion decision.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 9 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. Coverage measured .
Trust
60/100
Craft
60/100
Hype
41/100
9 sources · methodology
Thin on the right so far
None of the 9 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
A state grand jury determined that $10 million in taxpayer money was "misappropriated" by the DeSantis administration. The funds were diverted from a Medicaid settlement, which was intended to provide health insurance for poor children, to the Hope Florida Foundation. The grand jury report stated that the money was then transferred to political action committees and the Republican Party of Florida. These entities subsequently used the funds in 2024 to campaign against Amendment 3, a citizen initiative aimed at legalizing marijuana in Florida.
Despite concluding that the money was misused, the grand jury found insufficient evidence to pursue criminal charges. The report noted a lack of memory among individuals regarding the decision to divert the funds. However, the grand jury identified current Attorney General James Uthmeier as having been involved in directing the money after it reached the Hope Florida Foundation. The report also concluded that Ashley Moody, who was attorney general at the time, was aware of the diversion plans and authorised her chief deputy to sign the settlement agreement.
Disagreement on settlement signing
The grand jury report stated that Ashley Moody, as attorney general, authorized her chief deputy, John Guard, to sign the settlement agreement. It noted Guard signed "without conducting his due diligence to ensure the proper appropriation of taxpayer funds." Guard told CBS News Miami that requests for the Department of Legal Affairs to join settlements were not uncommon and that this settlement was handled in the ordinary course by the department. He declined further comment, citing his position as a judge.
What the coverage left out
None of the reports printed below mention the specific amount of the original Medicaid settlement, which was approximately $67 million, nor do they detail the specific amounts transferred to political action committees and the Republican Party of Florida beyond the initial $10 million diversion. The full reports from CBS News Miami and WGCU Public Media do not include direct quotes from Ashley Moody or Ron DeSantis regarding the grand jury's findings, although they note their general responses or lack thereof.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 1 time, most recently on 27 Aug 2026, 03:00, and will add the sides that appear.
How other outlets pictured it
Which photograph to run is each newsroom’s own choice. The leaning beside a name is that outlet’s published rating, not a claim that the pictures divide along it. Every picture is shown from the outlet’s own server and links to the article it ran in.
Attorney General James Uthmeier
WGCU Public Media — embedded from source
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
3 rated outlets
- The left-rated reports led with the grand jury's finding that $10 million in taxpayer money was "misappropriated" for political purposes. WGCU Public Media highlighted that the money was intended for poor children's health insurance and was ultimately used to defeat marijuana legalization, noting the funds were sealed for seven months. Raw Story's headline stated the "damning jury report leaves Ron DeSantis in jeopardy over $10 million charity scheme." Orlando Sentinel and Sun-Sentinel digests also focused on the misuse of public money for politics and blamed key DeSantis officials.
Centre
6 rated outlets
- The centre-rated reports focused on the grand jury's conclusion that taxpayer dollars were "misappropriated" to the Hope Florida Foundation. CBS News Miami, which obtained a full report, detailed the diversion of funds from a Medicaid settlement and their use in political activities, including defeating Amendment 3. Tampa Bay Times and WKMG digests also reported the "misappropriation" finding and mentioned Attorney General James Uthmeier's involvement. Palm Beach Post's digest noted the allegation that the DeSantis administration used Medicaid funds for politics, citing CBS News Miami.
Right
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated right has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Grand jury: $10 million in taxpayer funds diverted for political use?
- Of the 9 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 33% are rated left, 67% are rated centre, 0% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Grand jury: $10 million in taxpayer funds diverted for political use left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 9 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of Grand jury: $10 million in taxpayer funds diverted for political use biased?
- Grand jury: $10 million in taxpayer funds diverted for political use is one event reported by 9 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Grand jury: $10 million in taxpayer funds diverted for political use?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Grand jury: $10 million in taxpayer funds diverted for political use?
- 9 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- What did the grand jury find regarding the $10 million?
- A state grand jury found that the DeSantis administration "misappropriated" $10 million in taxpayer funds. This money, intended for health insurance for poor children, was diverted to the Hope Florida Foundation and then used for political activities, including defeating a 2024 marijuana legalization initiative.
- Were any criminal charges filed?
- No, the grand jury found insufficient evidence to charge anyone criminally. The report cited a lack of memory among individuals regarding who made the decision to divert the funds, which the jury noted would be an impediment to criminal prosecution.
- Who was identified as being involved in directing the money?
- The grand jury identified current Attorney General James Uthmeier as having involvement in directing the money after it went to the Hope Florida Foundation. It also concluded that Ashley Moody, then attorney general, was aware of the plans and authorized her chief deputy to sign the settlement agreement.
- What was the money used for?
- The $10 million was transferred to political action committees and the Republican Party of Florida. These funds were then used in 2024 to defeat Amendment 3, a citizen initiative to legalize marijuana in Florida.
Read it at the source
9 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
3- Hope Florida grand jury finds Medicaid settlement money ‘misused for political purposes’ (opens Orlando Sentinel in a new tab)
Orlando Sentinel — is Orlando Sentinel biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Damning jury report leaves Ron DeSantis in jeopardy over $10 million charity scheme (opens Raw Story in a new tab)
- Sealed for seven months: Grand jury found $10 million “misappropriated” to Hope Florida, but no one will be charged (opens WGCU Public Media in a new tab)
WGCU Public Media — is WGCU Public Media biased? Our profile of this outlet
Centre
6- Report: Grand Jury Finds DeSantis Admin Used Medicaid Funds for Politics (opens Tallahassee Democrat in a new tab)
Tallahassee Democrat — is Tallahassee Democrat biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Hope Florida grand jury describes public money ‘misused for political purposes’ (opens Sun-Sentinel in a new tab)
Sun-Sentinel — is Sun-Sentinel biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Report: Grand jury finds DeSantis admin used Medicaid funds for politics (opens Palm Beach Post in a new tab)
Palm Beach Post — is Palm Beach Post biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Hope Florida grand jury says state leaders ‘misappropriated’ taxpayer money (opens Tampa Bay Times in a new tab)
Tampa Bay Times — is Tampa Bay Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
- REPORT: Taxpayer dollars ‘misappropriated’ to Hope Florida, grand jury finds (opens WKMG in a new tab)
- Grand jury finds DeSantis administration "misappropriated" $10 million in taxpayer money to Hope Florida (opens CBS News in a new tab)
Right
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Not rated
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
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