Andrade claims that the records reveal additional inconsistencies in the Hope Florida-Medicaid issue.

According to Andrade, records from state agencies indicate that the health care administrator acknowledged $10 million was misappropriated from the general fund. He pointed out that if this wasn’t the case, then the state just reimbursed $6 million to the federal government.

Every time Florida pays for Medicaid, the federal government covers 57.2% of the costs. Therefore, when the state settles a Medicaid claim, it has to pay back that percentage from the settlement.

DeSantis and Usmayer have previously asserted that the controversial settlement from 2024 would amount to $57 million. In that scenario, the contribution from the state to the federal government would be approximately $32 million.

However, new documents from the Florida Department of Financial Services reveal that two payments of $19 million were made in 2024 and 2025, totaling $38 million. This aligns closely with the 57.2% figure of the overall $67 million settlement.

“If this wasn’t tied to Medicaid, we wouldn’t have paid back the nearly $6 million that we borrowed from the $10 million theft to the federal government,” Andrade remarked.

He conceded that the payments were made to the state’s health care trust fund, which in turn goes to the federal government, implying that this payment suggests an admission of wrongdoing by the Agency for Health Care Administration.

“In my opinion, this is not only an acknowledgment from AHCA but also evidence that James has not only taken $10 million from taxpayers but also $16 million,” Andrade noted.

He believes that most of the settlement funds should have returned to the state treasury; instead, $10 million was redirected to the Hope Florida Foundation, linked to First Lady Casey DeSantis’ nonprofit.

Shortly after, Andrade alleges that these funds were again redirected to two political action committees led by Usmayer, which were formed to oppose an amendment legalizing recreational marijuana.

Usmayer described the $10 million allocation as a “sweetener” for the agreement and asserted that it was completely legal. Documents from 2022 indicate that the full $67 million is set to be sent directly to the state.

Andrade also raised questions about why the original settlement allowing contributions to Hope Florida was drafted on September 11, just sixteen days before the official agreement was signed.

“The fraud is evident to me,” Andrade remarked. “I can’t say otherwise. This originated from an instruction given by James Usmayer during a meeting in the governor’s office on September 10th, and we’ve all since verified that.”

“Regardless, it was theft, and we also learned that the state had to recognize that the $10 million was Medicaid funding,” he added. “[Usmayer] should bear more accountability.”

In May, State Attorney Jack Campbell initiated an investigation into the Florida Hope matter. WEAR News has contacted the office and is awaiting further information.