A $10 million scandal involving her signature charity may prove an end to Casey DeSantis‘ ambition to be governor of the state of Florida.
DeSantis, the wife of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, has been quietly laying the groundwork for a primary battle against President Donald Trump‘s handpicked choice to lead the state, Rep. Byron Donalds.
But she’s being stymied by members of her own party after an investigation conducted by GOP lawmakers showed the eight-figure charity donation eventually made its way through various political groups that would support Casey’s cause.
At the heart of the controversy is $10 million settlement from the state Medicaid account that was given Casey’s charity Hope Florida. That money was rerouted to two groups that backed a DeSantis-led campaign against legalizing recreational marijuana. And some ended up with a DeSantis group that could support Casey’s campaign.
The money transfers appear illegal, these Republican lawmakers claim.
Gov. Ron DeSantis is vigorously defending his wife, calling the criticism ‘all political.’
‘Some people feel threatened by the first lady. Let’s just be clear about that,’ DeSantis said at a press conference earlier this month. ‘If you’re looking at 2026 and you’ve got some horse, you don’t want her anywhere near that. You’re very worried because she runs circles around their people. Everybody knows that.’
Casey DeSantis is fighting off a scandal tied to her Hope Florida foundation
The governor also blasted his party members in the state House for their ‘hoax’ and ‘manufactured fraud’ to ‘smear’ Hope Florida and his wife. He has vowed to veto unrelated legislation from his own party that he says would sabotage his agenda.
Casey DeSantis had been a popular first lady in the state and became a national figure when she helped her husband in his failed presidential bid in 2024.
Her fight with breast cancer, her photogenetic looks and TV savvy made her a valuable political asset.
But she and the governor were also hurt by reports of their terrible management style, harsh treatment of staff and refusal to take anyone’s advice but their own.
Now it appears their own party is done with them.
The fact that it’s Republicans investigating Florida’s first couple shows how far they have collapsed in state politics.
Many are now saying Casey DeSantis should put aside her dreams of the governor’s mansion.
Donors are fleeing to Donalds.
But Casey and Ron DeSantis are fighting hard to keep their spot on top of Sunshine State politics.
Both are seeking to court the former president to keep his involvement in the gubernatorial primary at a minimum.
Recently, Casey played a round of golf with the president and DeSantis played with Trump’s son Eric.
But soon after these games, Donalds went with Trump to a UFC event in Florida – a very public appearance for him and the president that was seen as a blow to the DeSantis efforts.
Casey and Ron DeSantis were a powerful force in Republican politics in Florida but their star seems to be falling among a charity scandal
Casey DeSantis launched the Hope Florida Foundation in 2021.
Her goal was to get people off government assistance by connecting them with faith-based and other charitable help.
She regularly travelled the state, passing out checks to various groups.
She is passionate about it and defend its work vigorously.
‘I think there’s kind of a misunderstanding about what Hope Florida is,’ she said last week
‘Hope Florida is not a program. Hope Florida is an idea, Hope Florida is a philosophy. It is, how can we help people in need and do it better.’
In its first year, the foundation raised about $800,000 but only distributed $40,000 in financial assistance, its tax returns show.
Last year, it got the $10 million from Centene, a Medicaid contractor that had overbilled Florida and other states. As part of its settlement agreement with the state, Centene had to donate $10 million to the Hope Florida Foundation.
Gov. DeSantis said the $10 million was separate from the state settlement and ‘kind of like a cherry on top, where they agreed to make an additional contribution.’
But a few days after the foundation received the money, it gave two $5 million grants to a pair of political groups, Florida newspapers reported.
Those groups then sent $8.5 million to Keep Florida Clean, a committee to fight against a ballot measure that would have amended the state constitution to legalize recreational marijuana.
Keep Florida Clean was operated by James Uthmeier, the governor’s chief of staff at the time who DeSantis later named Florida’s attorney general.
Later, Keep Florida Clean gave $1.2 million to the Florida Freedom Fund, a political committee controlled DeSantis that could ultimately be used to help Casey run for governor.
State Rep. Alex Andrade, a Republican who led the House investigation, told CNN the money trail ‘looks very much like wire fraud and money laundering to me.’
Casey DeSantis on the campaign trail in Iowa for her husband Ron DeSantis
Casey DeSantis has not formally said that she is running for governor although many expect her to do so.
And many Republicans in the state hope Casey DeSantis sees the investigation as a sign to shelf her political ambitions – and spare the party what could be a brutal primary fight that would see the eventual winner come out bruised.
A March poll conducted by Republican firm Fabrizio Lee and Associates found that 34 percent of likely Republican primary voters said they preferred Donalds for governor while 30 percent wanted Casey DeSantis.
But she still has time before making a final decision.
The state’s Republican primary is will take place in August 2026.
