Florida Center for Government Accountability

10/23/2026

FLCGA is asking the First District Court of Appeal to reconsider its decision ordering a grand jury’s Hope Florida presentment expunged. The motion asks the court to hear FLCGA's arguments, grant rehearing, preserve the sealed presentment, and to certify four questions of public importance to the Florida Supreme Court.

Never told an appeal was filed, FLCGA and Michael Barfield ask the First DCA to reconsider. A 317-page appendix of the State's own records shows the $10 million was public money from the start.

10/22/2026

The Republican Party of Florida has now dismissed its Highlands County lawsuit seeking to ban ads about the Hope Florida scandal -- just one day after a circuit judge refused to grant the request without a hearing.

The Florida GOP just filed a notice dismissing the lawsuit filed in Highlands County seeking to ban the Hope Florida ads. The Republican Party of Florida

10/21/2026

Join us at noon ET today! REGISTER: www.flcga.org/special-events

10/20/2026

BREAKING: Highlands County Judge Peter Estrada has denied the Florida Republican Party’s request for an emergency order banning broadcast of the Hope Florida ads. As the Trident reported on Sunday, the party sued to block the ads under threat of criminal prosecution.

Hours after the 1st DCA said no, the Republican Party of Florida asked a Highlands County judge for the same ban. Now the court wants the officials who sought secrecy to explain what they know about the leaks.

10/18/2026

The Republican Party of Florida is threatening criminal prosecution of anyone who repeats a Leon County grand jury’s finding that high-ranking state officials diverted $10 million in the Hope Florida scandal.

A late-night lawsuit seeks to pull a Democratic ad off 11 Orlando and Tampa Bay stations and bar anything relaying the expunged report. The party also referred the stations to FDLE and prosecutors, though the report has been public since August.

10/08/2026

BREAKING: A Florida appeals court has thrown out the grand jury report from the Hope Florida scheme. The court said the money was never public money, despite the state reimbursing the federal government for the full amount.

No one was allowed to argue to keep the report. The lawyers who won include firms paid more than $300,000 in public money. A third firm, hired 12 days before the grand jury met, represented a witness the governor’s office won’t name.

10/07/2026

Despite DeSantis' push to eliminate school vaccine requirements, polls indicate voters strongly support widely immunizing school-age children. A hearing tomorrow near Orlando gives the public another opportunity to weigh in on whether the Department of Health should adopt the change.

TALLAHASSEE – Another clash over vaccine mandates in Florida is coming Thursday, when state health officials will hear from the public about striking four

10/02/2026

The IRS is reviewing a whistleblower claim related to the Hope Florida scandal, raising new questions about the $10 million at the center of the controversy.

A Medicaid settlement, a state charity, two nonprofits and Uthmeier's anti-Amendment 3 PAC, all within weeks. Now a whistleblower claim is before the IRS.

09/28/2026

A longstanding attorney general opinion says it is illegal to use taxpayer money to cover legal bills in a criminal investigation of public officials -- yet FL taxpayers paid a second law firm $111,387.50 to represent an unidentified person in Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office during the Hope Florida grand jury investigation.

Invoices obtained by the Florida Trident show a second taxpayer-funded firm contacting Leon County prosecutors and fighting to keep the Hope Florida grand jury report sealed.

09/25/2026

The DeSantis administration is using an emergency rule to designate groups as domestic terrorists despite state law specifically requiring FDLE to adopt nonemergency rules governing this process. The emergency action also bypasses legal requirements for public input and transparency.

The DeSantis Administration is relying on an emergency rule to designate certain groups as domestic terrorists, circumventing public input required under