Leaked grand jury report found $10 million in Hope Florida settlement money misappropriated and recounts testimony that then-Attorney General Moody authorized the settlement's signing; it makes no finding against her and found insufficient evidence to charge anyone, 2026
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What happened
A Leon County grand jury report, filed under seal on January 28, 2026 and leaked to CBS News Miami in August 2026 (it has not been officially released), examined a September 2024 Medicaid settlement with Centene in which $10 million was directed to the Hope Florida Foundation. Within weeks the money moved through two nonprofits to a political committee, which sent $7 million to the Republican Party of Florida. The grand jury found the $10 million was misappropriated, that the Legislature was not notified, and that the decision to send it to Hope Florida was intended to circumvent a state settlement-funds law; it found insufficient evidence to charge anyone, saying no witness would take responsibility for the decision. The passage naming Moody sits in the report's summary of testimony by her then chief deputy, John Guard, not in its numbered findings. It says Guard raised political concerns about dedicating $10 million to Hope Florida with Moody and that "after consulting AG Moody, she authorized Mr. Guard to sign the settlement agreement in its final form," after the agreement was amended to make the Agency for Health Care Administration, not the Attorney General's office, the settling party. The report's numbered findings fault Guard and others for not conducting due diligence but do not name Moody, and neither Moody nor Gov. DeSantis was called to testify. In a social media post on August 27, 2026, Moody wrote that "The AG's office had no knowledge of how funds would be spent or played any role in how Hope Florida, AHCA, or the legislature would spend the settlement money," and that "Attempts to characterize this any other way are disingenuous." Her campaign has said AHCA negotiated and settled the agreement.
By the numbers (1)
● confirmed by a primary document · ○ reported
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- Leon County Grand Jury report, filed Jan 28, 2026 (leaked copy posted by North Escambia.com, watermarked CBS News Miami) — Leon County Grand Jury report, filed Jan 28, 2026 (leaked copy posted by North Escambia.com, watermarked CBS News Miami)Document
Finding 15: the $10 million 'was misappropriated.'
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What happened next (1)
Florida's First District Court of Appeal ruled that the Leon County grand jury report on the $10 million Hope Florida settlement money must be expunged from court records, finding that a grand jury that declares misconduct without returning an indictment exceeds its authority. The opinion was issued on a Tuesday and reported October 7, 2026; Gov. Ron DeSantis welcomed the ruling. Source ↗