“This is corruption at the expense of children”: DeSantis caught diverting $35m from poor kids and opioid victims to influence voters
Florida – Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is under more scrutiny after an in-depth investigation that claims his administration surreptitiously utilized tens of millions of taxpayer funds to influence voters before last year’s election. The Herald and The Times both reported on the findings, which show that there was an organized campaign to fight two ballot propositions that the governor strongly opposed.
The investigation found that more than $35 million that was supposed to go to programs for low-income Floridians was actually used for political ads to defeat Amendments 3 and 4. Those bills seek to legalize recreational marijuana and remove Florida’s six-week abortion ban, a policy DeSantis championed. In the end, neither amendment got the 60% of votes needed to pass.
Reporters learned that a lot of the money that was moved around went to pay for political consultants, legal services, and a big advertising campaign on TV, radio, and social media. Most of the messages were about defending the ban on abortion and warned against making marijuana legal. The news outlets said that the ads made false assertions about how dangerous marijuana is and didn’t make it apparent that the people in the ads were connected to ballot measures.
The analysis finds that state agencies spent a lot more on ads when voting started and mail-in ballots were already being sent out. In late September, which was an important time in the election campaign, the Agency for Health Care Administration, the Department of Health, and the Department of Children and Families all bought more ads.
Financial records reviewed by the newspapers revealed that at least $21.2 million traveled through a complicated chain of transfers involving five state agencies before reaching selected vendors. The study says that the total amount spent to oppose the modifications was more than three times what had been made public before.
A large part of the money comes from programs that were supposed to support vulnerable populations. For example, the Department of Children and Families took $1.1 million from its budget for protecting children to pay for commercials. Another $4 million came from Florida’s opioid settlement trust fund. In total, 79% of the $36.2 million found in the investigation derived from healthcare-related sources.
The Hope Florida charity program, which is one of the most well-known elements connected to the spending, is currently being investigated into by a grand jury. According to the report, about $10 million from a Medicaid settlement went through the program to a political group run by the governor’s chief of staff.
The news outlets talked to legal experts and former officials who stated that the way the state was spending money seemed to be pushing the limits of state law. Florida law says that it is a crime for state employees or officials to use their jobs to interfere with an election or influence how people vote. Kenneth Goodman, a professor emeritus at the University of Miami, said that the measures were a waste of public resources.
He said the effort amounted to “undermining the will of voters by diverting resources intended for a vulnerable population,” adding, “This is corruption at the expense of children.”
Even though the investigation found evidence of misconduct, DeSantis and his administration have always denied any wrongdoing. The governor has maintained that the ads were not meant to change people’s minds about voting. In September, DeSantis said that the messaging was suitable for public service announcements.
“It is not electioneering,” he said at the time. “It’s things that can absolutely be done through these public service announcements. And I’m glad they’re doing it.”
This has also highlighted questions about Florida politics’ openness, accountability, and the limits of government-backed propaganda.
