Vindman presses Moody to support release of Hope Florida grand jury report
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Alex Vindman is urging Republican Sen. Ashley Moody to publicly support the release of a grand jury report tied to the Hope Florida investigation, making the issue a focal point in Florida's U.S. Senate race.
Vindman, speaking outside the Florida Capitol on Thursday, argued that voters deserve to see the findings of the investigation, while Moody's campaign said she had no role in the grand jury proceedings and does not oppose the report's release.
What we know:
Vindman called on Moody to seek the release of a Leon County grand jury report examining the Hope Florida controversy.
The investigation centers on a $10 million payment that Hope Florida, a nonprofit affiliated with an initiative led by First Lady Casey DeSantis, received through a Medicaid settlement before transferring the money to two nonprofit organizations.
Those nonprofits later contributed the funds to a political committee chaired by James Uthmeier, who was Gov. Ron DeSantis' chief of staff at the time and now serves as Florida attorney general. The committee used the money to campaign against two 2024 constitutional amendments that would have legalized recreational marijuana and established a right to abortion in Florida.
A Leon County grand jury was convened to investigate the matter. No indictments have been announced, and no grand jury report has been publicly released.
What we don't know:
It remains unclear whether the grand jury completed a final report or whether one exists that has not yet been made public.
Vindman acknowledged he has not spoken with State Attorney Jack Campbell's office regarding the report's status, and there has been no public explanation for why no report has been released.
The backstory:
The Hope Florida controversy has drawn scrutiny because of the flow of settlement money from the nonprofit to other organizations and ultimately to a political committee involved in the 2024 ballot measure campaigns.
Moody served as Florida attorney general when the settlement occurred before Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed her to the U.S. Senate after Marco Rubio became U.S. secretary of state. Uthmeier succeeded Moody as attorney general.
What they're saying:
Vindman questioned why the report has not been released.
"My challenge to Ashley Moody is, if she has nothing to hide, she should go ahead and call for this release," Vindman said. "If she is the reason that the grand jury report is not being released, which is my suspicion, either way, I think the electorate deserves to know."
He also tied the issue to the Senate campaign.
"This is something that people need to know about when they make a decision between Ashley Moody, a corrupt politician, and somebody that served the public good and reported corruption at the highest level," Vindman said.
Moody's campaign rejected the criticism.
"This was an Agency for Health Care Administration agreement that AHCA chose to negotiate and settle through AHCA lawyers and outside counsel almost two years ago. This information is publicly available in previously released documents," said Cameron Gambini, communications director for Moody's campaign.
"The Senator has had no role in any grand jury proceedings and would certainly have no issue with the public release of any report," Gambini said.
Big picture view:
The dispute adds another political flashpoint to Florida's 2026 U.S. Senate race. Vindman, a retired Army lieutenant colonel who gained national attention during President Donald Trump's first impeachment proceedings, reported raising $14.5 million this year and faces state Rep. Angie Nixon in the Democratic primary.
Moody has raised $10.8 million for her Senate campaign. The winner of the general election will serve the final two years of Marco Rubio's Senate term before facing voters again in 2028.
The Source: This story was written based on reporting by the News Service of Florida.