The increased scrutiny is an 'attack (on) the First Lady and all the great things she's done. They view her as a threat,' the governor said.

Gov. Ron DeSantis again condemned Florida House Republicans and the news media over continued questioning into the beleaguered Hope Florida initiative of his wife, First Lady Casey DeSantis.

The DeSantises, state officials and program participants appeared at St. Augustine’s Anchor Faith Church April 24 to defend and promote the program, billed as a conservative alternative to traditional welfare that connects needy Floridians with help from nonprofits and other charities.

A House panel and news organizations have been digging into a $10 million dollar donation that was connected to a $67 million legal settlement between the state and Centene, a Medicaid-managed care vendor, over alleged overbilling.

“They're trying to smear this program,” DeSantis told the crowd in conservative St. Johns County, where Republicans outnumber Democrats 2½ to 1. “Some of them, some of these lefty journalists don't like it. They don't like you working with the faith-based community."

Funded by donations from individuals, private businesses, donations, grants, gifts and investments, Hope Florida serves as the support organization for the Florida Department of Children and Families. Its secretary, Taylor Hatch, accompanied DeSantis for the visit.

Referring to his wife, now said to be eyeing a run for governor in 2026 when he is term-limited, he added: "Some of these people view it as a way to attack the First Lady and all the great things she's done. They view her as a threat. That's what’s motivating this."

What is the Hope Florida controversy about?

The entire settlement was $67 million but $10 million was directed to the Hope Florida Foundation in October.

The foundation, which raises money for the Hope Florida program, then gave two $5 million grants each to two nonprofit organizations: Securing Florida’s Future, chaired by Mark Wilson, who is also the chairman of the Florida Chamber of Commerce, and Save Our Society from Drugs.

Those groups in turn gave $8.5 million to Keep Florida Clean, a political committee chaired by James Uthmeier, then DeSantis’ chief of staff. In February, DeSantis appointed him to be Florida's attorney general.

Keep Florida Clean was set up to oppose an amendment on the 2024 ballot to legalize recreational marijuana. The group has given $1.2 million to the Florida Freedom Fund, another political committee chaired by Uthmeier and used by DeSantis to fight both the marijuana amendment and an amendment that would’ve installed a right to an abortion into the state’s constitution.

During the event’s Q&A, DeSantis said the state's Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) sent documentation to the House that “totally debunks the bogus media narratives.”

Hope Florida has done “an enormous amount of good, and I'm proud of the program, soup to nuts," the governor said.

DeSantis under fire because of Hope Florida donation

DeSantis is facing criticism because under Florida law, money from settlements must be deposited into the state's general revenue fund and reported to the Legislature for oversight. The $10 million donation was not.

In an earlier press conference, DeSantis said the $10 million was not part of the $67 million agreement signed in September 2024, one not disclosed to the Legislature.

"When you do settlements, you can try to get as much money as you can, but this was in addition to what they were getting," he told reporters at a press conference in Miami .

He described it as "kind of like a cherry on top, where they agreed to make an additional contribution, and so we were served well by what AHCA did.”

Jim Rosica of the USA TODAY Network – Florida Capital Bureau contributed. This story also contains previously reported material.