Jim DeFede explores the growing controversy surrounding Hope Florida.

The chairman of a foundation tied to Hope Florida — Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis' signature welfare-assistance program — said under oath last Tuesday that "mistakes were made" with the foundation's record-keeping, as a skirmish over the group's finances continued to escalate.

Joshua Hay, chairman of the Hope Florida Foundation Inc., appeared before the House Health Care Budget Subcommittee amid a widening probe into the nonprofit's receipt of $10 million as part of a Medicaid managed-care company's $67 million settlement with the state Agency for Health Care Administration.

After receiving the money from Centene — the state's largest Medicaid managed-care provider — last fall, the foundation made $5 million grants each to Secure Florida's Future, a nonprofit organization linked to the Florida Chamber of Commerce, and Save Our Society from Drugs.

The groups received the grants while they were making contributions to Keep Florida Clean, a political committee headed by James Uthmeier, who was then Gov. Ron DeSantis ' chief of staff and is now state attorney general. Keep Florida Clean fought a proposed constitutional amendment in November that would have allowed recreational use of marijuana.

Jim investigates what's next now that the organization's executive director has resigned amid House scrutiny.

Jim DeFede joined CBS4 News in January 2006 and serves as an investigative reporter for the station, as well as host of its Sunday morning public affairs program "Facing South Florida."