SWEETWATER, Fla. – Speaking in Sweetwater on Thursday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis defended the allocation of $10 million in taxpayer funds to his wife’s charity.
It comes as lawmakers, including fellow Republicans, scrutinized the payment to Hope Florida from Florida Agency for Health Care Administration.
The funds were part of a $67 million court settlement by the AHCA.
First Lady Casey DeSantis founded Hope Florida with the stated goal of helping people transition off welfare through local programs rather than government ones.
The Republican chairman of a state legislative committee questioned whether the payment was legal during a recent hearing in Tallahassee.
The governor oversees the AHCA. On Thursday, Local 10 News asked him to respond to lawmakers.
“This was a settlement, a totally appropriate ― it was a good deal that was negotiated," DeSantis said. “When you do settlements, you can try to get as much money as you can, but this was in addition to what they were getting. This is kind of like a cherry on top, where they agreed to make an additional contribution.”
All of this comes as speculation swirls over Casey DeSantis, a former Jacksonville news anchor, potentially running for governor in 2026 to succeed her husband.