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Miami Herald
5 days ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Lawyers in Hope Florida Medicaid settlement distanced clients from rushed deal
As DeSantis administration officials scrambled last year to craft a Medicaid overbilling settlement that diverted millions to the Hope Florida Foundation, lawyers for healthcare contractor Centene and the Florida Attorney General's Office tried to distance their clients from the agreement, a trove of newly released records shows. Over 22 days in September, then-Chief Deputy Attorney General John Guard repeatedly removed references to his office in drafts of the settlement passed among negotiators. Centene's lawyers inserted language emphasizing that the company was 'directed by the state' to donate $10 million of its $67 million settlement to the foundation. The attorneys insisted that Florida's Office of Inspector General or attorney general be mentioned in the agreement. And they inserted language absolving the company from liability in 'any dispute that may arise' from how the money was used. The haggling was prescient. When the settlement was revealed this year, it ignited a firestorm among Republican lawmakers. Nearly all the $10 million donation to the state-created Hope Florida Foundation was diverted to a political committee created by Gov. Ron DeSantis' then-chief of staff James Uthmeier to run ads opposing last year's recreational marijuana ballot initiative. A top GOP lawmaker accused the DeSantis administration of illegally laundering federal Medicaid funds, and former federal prosecutors have said the transactions may have been illegal. Prosecutors in Tallahassee launched a criminal investigation related to the claims. The agreement had ramifications in Washington, as well. Guard, who eventually signed the settlement, has seen his nomination by President Donald Trump for federal judge held up after Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Scott said he should face questions about it. Guard declined to comment. Emails and draft settlement agreements included among 1,000 pages of records reviewed by the Herald/Times detail how DeSantis' administration crafted the unusual legal settlement last fall, as mail-in ballots were set to go out to voters. At the time, DeSantis was crisscrossing Florida and spending millions of taxpayer dollars on ads to defeat an initiative that would legalize recreational marijuana. Centene and outside lawyers had asked the state repeatedly since 2021 to settle the company's claims that it overbilled Florida for prescription drugs, records show, but Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration didn't take action until a phone call with the company on Sept. 5, 2024. The initial draft of the settlement made no mention of the Hope Florida Foundation. Agency officials prepared to brief the governor's office on the settlement on Sept. 10. Whether the meeting happened, or who attended, is not reflected in the records. But the next day, the Agency for Health Care Administration's general counsel sent a version to Secretary Jason Weida that required Centene to give $5 million of its settlement to the Hope Florida Foundation. More changes followed. A draft sent to Guard on Sept. 12 removed all references to the state's Office of Inspector General. Guard pushed back. The agreement required the attorney general, instead of the Agency for Health Care Administration, to handle the remaining $62 million. Guard also questioned how much would have to be paid to the federal government, which oversees and mostly funds Medicaid. The agreement 'is different than I have seen in a settlement with Medicaid monies,' Guard wrote. He did not question the diversion of $5 million to the Hope Florida Foundation. The Agency for Health Care Administration's general counsel agreed with Guard and changed the settlement to make the agency receive and distribute the money on behalf of the state. He also increased the donation to the foundation to $10 million before sending another round of changes to Centene. The records do not show why the donation to Hope Florida Foundation was added to the drafts, or why it was doubled. The Agency for Health Care Administration did not answer questions asked by the Herald/Times. Centene's general counsel responded six days later with more changes apparently designed to protect the company. Money from Medicaid-related legal settlements belongs to state and federal taxpayers, and diverting it to charities or political committees could amount to theft of federal funds or other crimes, four former federal prosecutors told the Herald/Times in May. Centene held a phone call with the state's lawyers to discuss the changes on Sept. 20. The company's version of the settlement stated that the 'Attorney General directs' the company to donate the $10 million and that Centene wasn't responsible for how the money would be allocated. Centene lawyers also wanted to mention that the Office of Inspector General was one of the state entities authorizing the settlement. It's not clear why, as the office isn't typically a party to legal settlements. Centene resolved similar overbilling claims with at least 20 states, and only one other settlement that is publicly available mentions inspectors general, according to a Herald/Times review. 'We would like FL OIG to continue to be explicitly listed,' one of their attorneys wrote. When the Attorney General's Office received the newest draft, Guard balked. On Sept. 24, he deleted seven references to the Attorney General's Office and clarified that the Agency for Health Care Administration, not the attorney general, was directing the company to make the donation. 'I get that they [Centene] negotiated this in every other state with the AG,' Guard wrote to the agency's general counsel. 'But, they are negotiating this agreement with AHCA [Agency for Health Care Administration] and it is going to have to look slightly different.' After the health agency's attorney made most of the changes, Guard still seemed less than enthusiastic. He wrote that he didn't really want to represent the state in the legal settlement, 'but I am fine with this.' The assurances from the attorney general's office — the state's top law enforcement entity — seemed crucial to Centene's lawyers, however. On Sept. 27, they sent a draft that added back nine references to the office. Each reference clarified that both the Agency for Health Care Administration and the attorney general were directing Centene's payments. 'I think we are down to one real issue,' wrote Centene's general counsel, Chris Koster, the former attorney general for Missouri. 'I agree that we are down to one issue,' the agency's general counsel, Andrew Sheeran, responded. The two held a phone call later that afternoon, and Centene backed down. The final version, signed later that day, did not include the additional references to the attorney general or the inspector general. Centene declined to answer questions and pointed to its past statements on this issue. 'The terms in the settlement document speak for themselves,' the company said. 'Centene had no part in or knowledge of any decision by the Hope Florida Foundation regarding the subsequent use of any Foundation funds.' 'Red flags' DeSantis' administration kept the settlement secret until April this year, when Republican lawmakers and the Herald/Times obtained copies of the Hope Florida Foundation's Oct. 14 meeting minutes. The minutes showed the foundation received $10 million as a result of 'a longstanding dispute with the Agency for Health Care Administration.' Herald/Times reporting previously revealed that for years, the charity didn't keep meeting minutes, had no budget or bylaws and didn't file its tax returns. And the money did not stay with the foundation , a state-created charity designed to support the state's Hope Florida program to move people off government assistance. Within days, it was routed to two political nonprofits, which gave nearly all of it to a political committee controlled by Uthmeier that was dedicated to defeating the marijuana amendment. The leader of one of the nonprofits said Uthmeier called her to request the money from the foundation, according to a Republican lawmaker who investigated the matter. The nonprofit director later said that Uthmeier 'had limited involvement' and never told her what to do with the money. DeSantis has defended the settlement, saying that Centene's donation was a 'cherry on top' of what the company owed. Uthmeier, who was appointed attorney general by DeSantis this year, said he had nothing to do with the final settlement talks. He was involved in meetings with Centene in 2021, records show. Neither has disputed that the $10 million was used for political purposes. Uthmeier's office hadn't released any records about the transactions until last week, when it gave hundreds of pages to Politico Florida 'exclusive for the next two weeks,' according to copies of text messages between a reporter and Rep. Alex Andrade, the Republican representative who probed Hope Florida. The messages were obtained by the Herald/Times. Uthmeier's spokesperson, Jeremy Redfern, emphasized two things about the records, according to the texts from the reporter to Andrade: That they showed Guard was initially concerned about the legality of the settlement but eventually 'got it,' and that the money sent to the state in the settlement 'was more than three times the size of the state's actual financial loss.' The Attorney General's Office last week released 390 pages of documents – many of which were requested in April – after the Herald/Times threatened to sue. Reporters also obtained hundreds of pages of emails and draft settlements from sources. Redfern did not answer questions about the settlement or why the state first gave the records to Politico. He also said Uthmeier 'never participated in any settlement negotiations and doesn't know anything about' the scheduled September 10 meeting last year regarding the draft agreement. 'Your questions demonstrate that you are deliberately misreading the public records our office provided you on a very expedited basis,' Redfern wrote in an email. Medicaid statutes allow states to recover as much as three times damages. Centene's records show that other states received settlements based on the same formula. Part of that formula also included a baseline of $10.8 million to encourage states to settle with the company and not litigate their claims. Regardless, that doesn't mean the money can be divided for purposes that aren't related to Medicaid, Andrade said, pointing to 2008 federal guidance. 'It looks very much like red flags were raised by the attorney general's office and by Centene,' Andrade said after reviewing the records himself. 'They were at the 10-yard line. And while they had some heartburn about it, it wasn't sufficient to blow the whole thing up.' He added: 'The CYAs [Cover Your Asses] were evident.' Andrade said it was also clear the state understood the money transferred to the foundation belonged to Medicaid, which would restrict how it could be spent. When the agency's lawyers inserted the donation into the agreement, they also justified it by referencing how the Hope Florida program was expanding into Medicaid. The justification that remained in the final agreement was crafted by one of Centene's lawyers: the state Agency for Health Care Administration 'desires an expanded role for Hope Florida in the Medicaid program.' 'That says it all,' Andrade said.
Miami Herald
29-07-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Hope Florida charity says DeSantis officials didn't need to report golf gifts
Lawmakers and DeSantis administration officials who were wined and dined at a private golf resort last year were told they don't have to disclose lavish hotel rooms and custom golf bags as gifts to the state Ethics Commission. Under state law, gifts over $100 from state-created charities, such as the Hope Florida Foundation that sponsored last year's event, must be reported to the commission. But after the Herald/Times wrote about the fundraiser last month, the president of the Hope Florida Foundation instructed attendees not to bother: These weren't gifts. The attendees' 'assistance' was worth more than any gifts that they received, Foundation President Joshua Hay wrote. Citing past state ethics opinions, Hay said that none of them needed to report the hotel rooms and other items to the commission. 'The Foundation believes that the expenses paid to cover the assistance you provided to the fundraising event were not gifts, and therefore are not required to be reported by you,' Hay wrote. Five GOP lawmakers chose to disclose $1,266.73 in gifts anyway, revealing the charity paid for: $614.88 for hotel rooms$336.10 for a custom golf bag$240.75 for rounds of golf$75 for a shirt One DeSantis official, Deputy Chief of Staff Cody Farrill, also filed a disclosure, showing he received a two-night stay at a private resort worth $567.84. But that disclosure was made only 'in the interest of avoiding politically motivated complaints,' Gov. Ron DeSantis' general counsel, Ryan Newman, wrote to the Ethics Commission. 'In light of an ongoing political campaign to discredit Hope Florida, this successful fundraiser may be used to target EOG(Executive Office of the Governor) staff and other state employees who helped with the event,' Newman wrote. A spokesperson for the commission said it couldn't give an answer about whether Newman's interpretation was correct. But their interpretation was questioned by state ethics experts. The commission has consistently held that merely attending an event doesn't rule out the need to report gifts received, said Caroline Klancke, a former general counsel and deputy executive director of the commission who now runs the nonprofit Florida Ethics Institute. Instead, the person has to provide substantial work for the event, which is mentioned in one of the opinions Hay cited, Klancke noted. Klancke said it's possible that some officials in the governor's office provided substantial work for the event, such as checking in guests or setting up tables, which would negate the value of the gifts they received. But she said caution was warranted for people who simply showed up. 'The items received by them are likely gifts under both the letter and spirit of the law,' Klancke said in an email. 'To interpret merely attending a function in one's public capacity as a blanket exception to the definition of gift would negate the necessity to ever disclose any gift ever again.' The two-day event at the Watersound Club near Destin raised $700,000 for the Hope Florida Foundation, according to the organization. The 501(c)(3) was created in 2023 to support Hope Florida, a state program and brainchild of first lady Casey DeSantis, which is supposed to help move needy Floridians off of government services. The foundation is intended to support churches and nonprofits that provide those services. But reports from the Herald/Times and Republican lawmakers revealed that it wasn't complying with state laws requiring it to be audited, to maintain a budget and to adopt bylaws. Its board meetings were being held in secret, in violation of state law, and it hadn't filed its tax returns with the IRS. 'There are lapses in reporting procedures,' Hay told a House committee in April. Hay, a certified public accountant until this year, is the CEO of a company that does tens of millions of dollars in business with the DeSantis administration. The DeSantis administration last year also moved $10 million from a state settlement with a Medicaid contractor to the Hope Florida Foundation, which then quickly gave the money to two nonprofits. Within days, the nonprofits gave nearly all that money to a political committee controlled by DeSantis' then-chief of staff. Former federal prosecutors and a key Republican lawmaker said they believed the diversion of the $10 million could be criminal. Prosecutors in Leon County have an open criminal investigation related to it. The foundation spent $95,547 on the Governor's Cup event. On the first day, lobbyists and others had the chance to golf with DeSantis. On the second day, lawmakers participated in another golf outing with DeSantis and other administration officials. Records show the charges and receipts were managed not by the foundation but by a former employee on DeSantis' campaign for governor. The event raised questions among nonprofit experts interviewed by the Herald/Times last month. Unlike a typical fundraiser, in which attendees are asked to at least pay for a ticket benefiting the charity, 14 of the 60 attendees donated — less than one fourth of those who were there. Many attendees, including lawmakers and political operatives, were unaware that the event was sponsored by the Hope Florida Foundation until being contacted by a reporter. Two political advisers to DeSantis told the Herald/Times last month they would reimburse the charity for their stay. Determining whether high-level officials received prohibited gifts would require an Ethics Commission investigation, Klancke noted. But bringing about a complaint that would spark an investigation was made much more difficult. Last year, the Legislature changed state law forbidding the state commission from investigating corruption or ethical complaints made against politicians if the person lodging the complaint did not have immediate firsthand knowledge of the activity at issue. In his letter to the commission, Newman reiterated that it shouldn't investigate complaints based on news reports. 'In the past, Commission staff have improperly deemed complaints against EOG (Executive Office of the Governor) personnel to be legally sufficient to commence an investigation where the complaints were based solely on news reports and the facts alleged did not constitute a violation of the Code of Ethics,' Newman wrote. Herald/Times Tallahassee bureau reporter Alexandra Glorioso contributed to this report.
Yahoo
24-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Poll: Florida Republicans split between Casey DeSantis, Byron Donalds for governor
A new public poll released on Thursday sends mixed signals to first lady Casey DeSantis should she decide to run for governor in 2026. The poll, conducted by the University of North Florida, shows that she is slightly ahead of U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds among registered Republican voters. Donalds has been endorsed in the race by President Donald Trump and would be her main opposition in a Republican primary. But her lead — 32% support compared to his 29% support — is within the margin of error, meaning the Republican gubernatorial primary could be tied or Donalds could even be slightly ahead among these voters. 'Casey DeSantis was an early favorite when we asked about this in fall of 2023,' Michael Binder, who leads the Public Opinion Research Lab at UNF that did the poll, said in a press release. But after Trump's endorsement of Donalds, her lead 'has all but disappeared.' And among Republicans who voted in last year's primary, Donalds is ahead by 15 points. Further complicating the matter is the Hope Florida Foundation saga, revealed in a Herald/Times investigative series this spring. According to the poll, two-thirds of Florida Republicans are still unaware of the charity that funneled $10 million from a Medicaid settlement to two-dark money groups that then gave similar amounts to a political committee intent on defeating the recreational marijuana amendment on last year's ballot. There's at least one criminal probe into the transfers of money. 'While their lack of knowledge helps Casey DeSantis now, the Donalds campaign and others are sure to campaign on the scandal and, as Republican voters learn more, she's likely to lose some support,' said Dr. Sean Freeder, a UNF professor of political science. Most Republican voters — 57% – said they view the first lady favorably, compared to 43% for Donalds. She has higher name recognition, too. Only 19% of respondents had never heard of her, compared to 40% who had never heard of him. Here are the groups with whom the first lady leads: Women Hispanics and Latinos North and central Florida voters Voters under the age of 65 Here are the groups with whom Donalds leads: Men Voters over the age of 65 South Florida voters Voters from the 2024 Florida Republican primary Former Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz, now a conservative news anchor, had 8% support among respondents. There were still 18% who were undecided.
Miami Herald
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
The $10 million central to Hope Florida charity probe may harm its tax status
The president of the Hope Florida Foundation told its board on Monday that the embattled charity was getting its financial house in order. During the second public meeting in the two-year-old organization's history, the board appointed a new member whom it named as its first treasurer. And charity President Joshua Hay assigned members to come up with a budget and a process for evaluating grants. But the state-created charity did not address what one board member in April called the 'elephant in the room': Hay's decision last year to accept, and quickly give away, $10 million from a Medicaid settlement to two other nonprofits, which then gave a similar amount to a political committee intent on defeating the recreational marijuana ballot initiative. The State Attorney's Office in Leon County has an open criminal investigation into the transactions. The board's decision to ignore the $10 million transfer, experts say, could jeopardize the tax-exempt status of the state-created Hope Florida Foundation, an IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) headquartered in the Department of Children and Families to assist first lady Casey DeSantis' top initiative, Hope Florida. The Hope Florida program is intended to move Floridians off of government assistance, and the charity is supposed to give money to churches and local nonprofits that help those people. But since its creation in 2023, the Foundation has been riddled with problems exposed by the Herald/Times. Its first board meeting last year was held in secret — in violation of state open meeting laws — and it has been functioning without any budget or audits, as required by law. Even Monday's meeting — held up by Hay as a step in the right direction in terms of good governance — lacked a public agenda, was not noticed through the state Department of Children and Families' administrative register, and didn't have the meeting's Zoom link posted on the Foundation's website until the weekend. The Herald/Times also reported this month that during its first fundraiser, the Foundation paid for hotel rooms, drinks and custom golf bags for DeSantis' top staffers and legislators but never notified them of the value of those gifts, which is required under state ethics laws. During its first public meeting on April 17, board member Stephanie White — who is married to former state Rep. Frank White — asked Foundation attorney Jeff Aaron whether the $10 million settlement funding was public money, which would be illegal to divert. But White did not address the matter at Monday's meeting, telling the Herald/Times afterward that she is 'looking forward to having policies and procedures put in place so that we can provide needed grants to organizations in Florida that help children and families.' Foundation board member Tina Vidal-Duart had previously requested that an outside attorney look into the matter, since Aaron acknowledged he had been accused of committing federal crimes related to it. But she, too, was silent on the topic Monday. (White and Vidal-Duart were the only ones out of the six-member board not given officer positions on Monday.) Vidal-Duart did not return a phone call from the Herald/Times on Monday. Aaron did not respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for the state Department of Children and Families, where the Foundation is headquartered, never answered why the meeting wasn't noticed as other meetings are. State Rep. Alex Andrade, the Pensacola Republican probing the Foundation's spending, urged the board at the April 17 board meeting to recoup the money so as to not jeopardize the organization's charity status, a point reflected in the meeting minutes the board approved on Monday. After an expert told the Herald/Times that a charity like the Foundation could be heavily taxed on money diverted to a political campaign, which the IRS views as lobbying, Andrade said he was concerned about the Foundation being a liability to the state. 'If the [charity's] activity exposes state coffers to the risk of an excise tax from the IRS, you have to begin to question whether or not its existence is justified,' Andrade said after the meeting Monday. Hay claimed in Andrade's House hearing on April 15 — two days before the Foundation's first public board meeting — that while he had signed off on giving the $10 million to two 501(c)4 organizations in the form of two $5 million grants, there were 'deficiencies with monitoring' where the money went next. That argument isn't legitimate to the IRS, said Nathan Goldman, an associate professor of accounting at North Carolina State University who writes a tax column for Forbes. 'The classic defense for these organizations is that if they give to somebody else and they use it for lobbying, then all of a sudden they've kind of had their hands washed,' Goldman said in an interview. 'But that's why this rule's in place, because it's putting the burden on the original organization, that you need to understand where that money's going to.' Goldman said that the 'slap-on-the-wrist' punishment from the IRS would be to tax the organization — the Hope Florida Foundation — for all the money it overspent on lobbying at 25%, which is higher than the corporate tax rate of 21%. In this case, if the entire $10 million later went to defeating the recreational marijuana amendment, then the Foundation could face a tax penalty of up to $2.4 million, based on the amount Hay said the charity had raised in total and lobbying rules by the IRS. 'On the higher end of the spectrum, they'd lose their 501(c)(3) status, and everything that they're doing becomes taxable,' Goldman said. Similarly, Shanna Ports, senior legal counsel for the Campaign Legal Center, a campaign finance watchdog, previously told the Herald/Times that if political contributions are a 'substantial' part of a charity's activity, it could lose its tax-exempt status.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hope Florida charity paid for hotel rooms, perks for DeSantis officials
TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis touted last year's Governor's Cup charity golf weekend as a fundraising success for the fledgling Hope Florida Foundation, saying it raised 'massive amounts of money.' Yet few of the attendees — which included officials in the governor's administration, his former campaign advisers and state contractors — donated to it. Several said they didn't even know the charity sponsored it, even though the nonprofit gave them custom golf bags and paid for their rooms, meals and drinks. The two-day event at a private club illustrates not only the overlap between the foundation's charitable arm and the DeSantis political operation, but messiness with the financial oversight of the nearly 2-year-old organization. Following questions from the Times/Herald, the charity is scrambling to file paperwork required by Florida law to notify state officials and lawmakers about the value of the gifts it provided as part of the event. The reports were due March 1. Foundation officials are also correcting the charity's IRS tax filing to more accurately show how much the event made. It wasn't the first time the Hope Florida Foundation, which benefits a program spearheaded by Florida first lady Casey DeSantis, has failed to file key paperwork. In April, its board president told state lawmakers that the charity had not filed any tax returns, created a budget or conducted audits required by law. The charity is under investigation after diverting $10 million from a settlement with the state's largest Medicaid contractor to a pair of nonprofits that then gave millions to a political committee. Nonprofit experts say the golf fundraiser, held at the Watersound Club near Destin last May, was unusual in multiple ways. Unlike a typical fundraiser, in which attendees are asked to at least pay for a ticket benefiting the charity, just 14 of the 60 attendees donated, the charity's records show. In addition, attendees received free rooms up to $654 per night, food and drinks and other perks on the charity's dime. Some received custom golf bags. Many, including Sen. Ed Hooper of Clearwater and Rep. Lawrence McClure of Dover, said they didn't realize the event was a fundraiser for the Hope Florida Foundation. 'I don't remember it being mentioned or described,' said Hooper, the chairperson of the Senate budget committee. Under federal law, a charity's expenses must further its mission, said Robert Tigner, regulatory council for The Nonprofit Alliance, which advocates for nonprofits. 'Straying wildly outside those bounds, like treating everybody the governor knows to a good time, it's hard to figure out how that fits in any legitimate mission,' Tigner said. The Governor's Cup was the debut fundraiser for the Hope Florida Foundation. The charity was created by the DeSantis administration two years ago to support the state's Hope Florida program, which uses a hotline to connect people with nonprofit charities and social services. The foundation is supposed to help the state carry out that mission, at least in part by giving grants to organizations that participate. It drew scrutiny from House Republicans earlier this year after it was found to have accepted — and quickly given away — $10 million from a $67 million settlement with a Medicaid contractor in October. The state attorney's office in Leon County said there is an open criminal investigation involving the transactions. None of the board members attended the Governor's Cup event, according to room receipts and other records about the fundraiser obtained by the Times/Herald through a public records request. The Hope Florida Foundation did not answer questions about why dozens of people received free rooms or whether DeSantis was among them. In a statement, the charity's attorney, Jeff Aaron, said the Governor's Cup was 'an extraordinary success' and had a net profit of nearly $700,000. That's well above the $425,000 that the foundation's current tax return says the event raised, an error that the charity is fixing. 'Everyone involved in the event played an important role in making the fundraising possible,' Aaron said. The Governor's Cup cost the charity $95,547, including $36,642 in room fees and charges. The charges and receipts were managed not by the foundation but by a former employee on DeSantis' campaign for governor. Some of the guests were associated with companies that hold state contracts, including Tidal Basin, the North Highland Co. and Centene. Centene gave $100,000 to the foundation around the time of the Governor's Cup event, records show. Several lobbyists who attended told the Times/Herald that they knew that it was for the Hope Florida Foundation. 'It's my understanding that golf, dinner and staying overnight were part of the fundraising costs for the event,' said longtime lobbyist and Republican consultant Slater Bayliss. He said he and colleague Chris Chaney represented four clients that donated to the event: Centene, Tampa Electric, Tidal Basin and Simply Healthcare Plans. 'I am a huge supporter of Hope Florida, and I believe in its mission,' Bayliss said. Records show that three people affiliated with the Hope Florida program attended the first night, including then-Department of Children and Families Secretary Shevaun Harris and Ginger Faulk, a mom who has been held up by the DeSantises as evidence that the state program works. Faulk couldn't be reached for comment. But unlike everyone else on the guest list, they were 'on (their) own for room payments,' the records state. Aaron did not answer when asked why. A spokesperson for the state Agency for Health Care Administration said Harris was there to give a presentation on the program, and the expenses for her and Faulk were paid by the Department of Children and Families. The rest of the attendees, who did not donate, included 13 members of the DeSantis administration. Among them: then-chief of staff James Uthmeier, who is now the state attorney general; then-Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Jason Weida, who is now DeSantis' chief of staff; and Anastasios Kamoutsas, who was then a deputy chief of staff but was named Florida's education commissioner this month. A spokesperson for DeSantis said the legislators and staff participated 'for the benefit of the fundraiser.' There were five staffers and advisers from DeSantis' failed presidential campaign, including deputy campaign manager David Polyansky, adviser Marc Reichelderfer and pollster Ryan Tyson, who each received $169-per-night rooms. Tyson told the Times/Herald that he did not know that the Hope Florida Foundation paid for his room until a reporter sent him receipts. He also said he didn't recall whether the reason for the golf tournament was to raise money for the charity. 'There was no reason for them to do that, so I'll gladly reimburse them the $189.28 they spent on my stay,' he said. When notified by a reporter, Polyansky also said he was going to pay back the foundation for his room. He said he flew into town primarily to catch up with the governor and didn't remember the details of the event. Two executives with Charter Communications, including the recently named Florida A&M University President Marva Johnson, also received rooms, according to the records. The cable company gave $100,000 to the Republican Party of Florida in the weeks before and after the event but did not give to the foundation, according to a list of donations through March 24 this year. A spokesperson for the company declined to comment. Bennett Weiner, president and CEO of BBB Wise Giving Alliance, a standards-based charity monitoring organization, said he had never heard of a fundraising scenario in which participants weren't asked to make a donation. 'That's the purpose of the event,' he said. 'Even if it's not a large amount, it's something.' Nearly a year after the event, DeSantis touted its success during a news conference in the Panhandle. At the time, a House committee was scrutinizing the foundation, which was used to divert at least $8.5 million from the Medicaid settlement to a political committee controlled by Uthmeier. Republican Rep. Alex Andrade has called the series of transactions illegal. At the news conference, DeSantis singled out lawmakers who attended the Governor's Cup for apparent hypocrisy. 'They were all a part of this,' DeSantis said. 'They were all singing the praises.' Eight Republican lawmakers attended on the second day, golfing with DeSantis and state officials without lobbyists present, several said. But four, including Hooper and McClure, said they didn't know the event had anything to do with the Hope Florida Foundation until being contacted by a reporter more than a year later. The others did not return calls from the Times/Herald or could not be reached for comment. Hooper said past Governor's Cup events have supported the First Tee Foundation, a charity that helps kids learn to golf. Usually lobbyists pick up the tab, he said, but he recalled an announcement that the St. Joe Co., which owns the resort, paid for the rooms. The St. Joe Community Foundation donated $200,000 to the charity five weeks later. State ethics laws require lawmakers and state officials, such as Uthmeier and Weida, to report gifts they receive from state-created charities to the Commission on Ethics. But first, the charity is supposed to inform them of the value of the gifts by March 1. None said they received such notice. Aaron didn't answer a question about why those notices were not sent out. Everyone should have known they were there to support a charity, said Rep. Debra Tendrich, a Democrat from Palm Beach County who runs her own nonprofit. Tendrich is on the House committee that investigated the foundation. 'I would never have allowed my staff, or my team or my board to promote an event and let people leave without knowing what they were supporting,' Tendrich said. 'To me, this is mind-boggling.' Times investigative reporter Justin Garcia contributed to this report.
