Florida Dem. Congresswoman’s career at risk as nearly $6 million COVID cash scandal gets national attention
Florida – The House Ethics Committee is currently looking into significant allegations about Florida Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick’s campaign financing and business dealings. On Friday, the committee said that it had unanimously decided to reactivate an investigative subcommittee. This was done after the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) sent a letter to the committee earlier this year.
The main focus of the investigation is the concern that the South Florida Democrat may have taken campaign donations that were directly connected to official acts. There are also issues regarding her attempts to get funds for a for-profit community project and her refusal to properly report her campaign finances. These problems, which initially came to light in May, have raised red lights all around Washington and gotten the attention of both state officials and watchdog groups.
Cherfilus-McCormick’s connections to Trinity Health Care Services, where she used to be CEO, are a key part of the probe. Trinity sent a big bill to the Florida Division of Emergency Management at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. State officials said that the bill led to an overpayment of almost $5.8 million. The corporation didn’t pay back the extra money right away, even though they were told to. Trinity and the state have since agreed on a 15-year repayment arrangement.
The financial scandal got even bigger after the nonpartisan watchdog group Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT) filed a formal complaint with the Department of Justice. The group claims that the congresswoman’s personal financial disclosures did not reflect any corresponding increase in assets, despite the millions in overpayments, raising suspicions of possible misappropriation or concealment of funds.
“Despite the increase in income, her assets did not notably increase as shown on her congressional financial disclosure reports,” the letter reads. “The facts, timeline, and dollar amounts are plainly incriminating.”
Cherfilus-McCormick’s 2021 congressional campaign, which was one of the most self-funded in Florida’s history, is also under scrutiny for potential breaches of Federal Election Commission laws and claims of misreporting contributions. Specifically, she is being accused of not reporting some in-kind donations and incorrectly labeling the sources of campaign funds.
The lawmaker said that the investigation is still in its early stages and that no infractions have been found yet in response to what the ethics committee did.
“I fully respect the process and remain committed to cooperating with the Committee as it works to bring this inquiry to a close,” she said.
There haven’t been any official charges yet, but the investigation might have effects that go well beyond Capitol Hill. The House Ethics Committee hasn’t said for sure if a complete probe is going on yet, but the DOJ has been told and political pressure is growing, so more thorough reviews could be coming soon. Depending on how things play out, subpoenas, forensic audits, and other legal actions are still possible.
This lawsuit puts Cherfilus-McCormick on a growing list of politicians who are being investigated for potential abuse of pandemic-era funds and conflicts between private business and public office. The results of the ethical probe and the separate state agreement over the $5.8 million restitution may determine whether or not she can keep her political support.
Does this Administration have a Haiti strategy? That remains to be seen.
When it comes to Haiti, that sounds more like a slogan than a strategy.
They want to eliminate the Office of Haitian Affairs at the State Department without any contingency plan.
I’ll work with anyone to… pic.twitter.com/bppdq8X8qa
— Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (@CongresswomanSC) July 23, 2025
The South Florida representative’s future is uncertain because they will have to make quarterly payments for the next 15 years and federal investigators are now keeping a tight eye on them. What started as a disagreement over pandemic payments has turned into a major test of ethics, transparency, and public trust at the highest levels of government.
