(The Center Square) – The House committee examining a contribution from a Medicaid settlement will hold a meeting on Friday to continue its investigation.

The Health Care Budget Subcommittee will hold hearings on Thursday and Friday to find out more from Hope Florida officials on how the $10 million from the $67 million Centene Medicaid settlement was donated to the charity and later sent to a pair of political committees connected to second-term Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. 

DeSantis, in a Wednesday news conference, called the report of the draft settlement, a “fabricated report” by “partisan outlets.” The report seemed to indicate the funds came entirely from the $67 million settlement with Medicaid. 

There was also a report of a letter from the counsel for the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration to legislative leaders that said the donation was separate from the settlement and was for “other alleged damages.” The letter by AHCA counsel Andrew Sheeran said the law didn’t prohibit the executive branch from requiring a settling entity to take actions other than paying money to the state. 

The governor also said the donation to Hope Florida, whose foundation is connected with Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis, was outside of the settlement, a “private donation.”

DeSantis also reiterated that the organization, which is also a direct service organization affiliated with the state, has saved taxpayers $100 million and gotten 30,000 people off government assistance programs. 

The two political committees were part of an effort to defeat an unsuccessful ballot initiative in November that would’ve put recreational marijuana in the state constitution. 

The House, whose been the target of DeSantis’ ire this session, continues its investigation. 

Rep. Alex Andrade, R-Pensacola, posted on social media that a political action committee connected to DeSantis is sending texts to his constituents that say Florida House leaders are working with Democrats to stop our agenda and sabotage Florida’s success. 

“I guess I should thank @GovRonDeSantis for getting my constituents to reach out to me and offer encouragement?” said Andrade. “Poor guy just can’t read the room…”

Andrade is the chairman of the Health Care Budget Subcommittee looking into Hope Florida. 

Letters were sent by Andrade and the subcommittee on April 18 giving officials from the Hope Florida Foundation and political committees Keep Florida Clean, Secure Florida’s Future and Save Our Society From Drugs a deadline of Friday to submit financial records. 

“The House Health Care Budget Subcommittee has had multiple meetings where we have learned more details related to the operation of The Hope Florida Foundation,” the letters read. “However, certain information and records are needed in order to continue our oversight review of the Foundation.”

From Hope Florida, the subcommittee is seeking monthly bank statements, account holder names, account numbers, listing of authorized signatories and all transaction details, which include deposit slips, amounts, invoices, wire transfer confirmations and other records. 

The subcommittee also wants contracts and position details of current and former employees, administrative expenses and records (including travel), documentation and audited financial records.

The subcommittee is also seeking all correspondence with attorney general and former DeSantis chief of staff James Uthmeier, Hope Florida attorney Jeff Aaron and attorney Mohammad Jazil, who has represented the DeSantis administration in litigation on elections and redistricting.

From the governor’s executive office, the subcommittee is seeking documents, emails, call logs, text messages related to Hope Florida by “any current or former employee” that are related to the political committees and the Agency for Health Care Administration. 

Andrade’s group also has requested the attendance of Secure Florida’s Future Chairman Mark Wilson; Amy Ronshausen from Save Our Society From Drugs; and Aaron to testify. 

(The Center Square) – A Florida measure that would decide what entity pays for the relocation of utilities in rights of way of roads and public rail lines was approved by the Senate Committee on Appropriations on Tuesday.

Senate Bill 818, sponsored by Sen. Stan McClain, R-Ocala, was rewritten with a strike-all amendment which the bill sponsor says was needed to keep the measure constitutional due to the funding mechanism.

It was passed by a 17-0 vote after it was supported by cable providers, industry groups and counties and could be headed to the Senate floor for a vote.

McClain says the bill will streamline the process by which utilities are relocated from rights of ways and is a “good compromise” because “everyone didn’t get what they wanted.”

McClain’s bill amends the process by which utilities located within the right of way of a public road or publicly-owned rail corridor must be relocated when such utility is found by the Florida Department of Transportation or a local government to be interfering with the use, maintenance, improvement or expansion of a public road or publicly-owned rail corridor.

The measure would create a grant program within the Department of Commerce, that would be funded by a portion of local communications services tax revenue, to reimburse providers of communications services for relocation expenses.

It was originally to be funded by 7.5% of the communications services tax levied by local governments, which would be required to distribute that to the fund for the Utility Relocation Reimbursement Grant Program.

Under the rewrite, lawmakers will redirect $50 million from the communications services tax for the relocations annually. McClain said any remaining balances in the fund would roll over to the next year’s program. 

“Going forward, those funds will get depleted pretty quickly based on what’s been done in the past,” McClain said. 

A provider would have 90 days after receiving a relocation request notification from FDOT or a local government to provide the governmental entity with an estimate of the project cost, schedule and timeline for completion. 

Costs for relocation, according to the bill, would have to be “reasonable and prudent.”