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Attorney General James Uthmeier speaks during a National Day of Prayer event at the Florida Capitol complex on May 1, 2025. <\/p>\nAttorney General James Uthmeier speaks during a National Day of Prayer event at the Florida Capitol complex on May 1, 2025. <\/p>\n
Credit: Jay Waagmeester\/Florida Phoenix<\/a><\/p>\n With Democrats calling for his removal from office, Attorney General James Uthmeier this week defended the distribution of Medicaid settlement dollars into political committees under his control and blamed a state attorney for coordinating the leak of a grand jury report into the matter.<\/p>\n While in Miami on Wednesday, Uthmeier voiced support for the $67 million agreement between the state Agency for Health Care Administration and Centene, a Medicaid vendor. The 2024 settlement included $10 million, which went to the Hope Florida Foundation, the charity arm of an initiative started by First Lady Casey DeSantis to help connect those in need to nonprofits, which distributed the money to political committees helmed by Uthmeier. Uthmeier, who is up for election in November, was Gov. Ron DeSantis\u2019 chief of staff at the time.<\/p>\n \u201cThe ACHA officials that entered into this deal, they didn\u2019t do anything wrong,\u201d Uthmeier said, cutting off a question on the topic from a reporter. \u201cThere\u2019s been over 100 pre-suit settlements incorporating third party nonprofits in recent history.\u201d<\/p>\n Uthmeier didn\u2019t cite any specific settlements that did so, nor any where the money from the settlement was funneled to a political committee.<\/p>\n Without naming him, Uthmeier then deferred questions to State Attorney Jack Campbell of the Second Judicial Circuit, which includes Leon County.\u00a0<\/p>\n Campbell opened a grand jury review following a 2025 legislative inquest led by Pensacola Republican Rep. Alex Andrade into the settlement.<\/p>\n On Tuesday, Uthmeier asserted that the \u201cDemocrat (sic) state attorney in Tallahassee, he weaponized the judicial system to bring a politically motivated case against the DeSantis administration.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe abused his office, and when he failed, when a jury found no reason to move forward, what happened? He allowed the Democrats and the media to collude and release his confidential documents,\u201d Uthmeier added during an event in Tampa. \u201cThis was wrong. It was either a significant abuse of power or gross incompetence.\u201d<\/p>\n Campbell\u2019s office hasn\u2019t responded to Uthmeier\u2019s comments and he has declined to comment on whether the investigation was closed.<\/p>\n Uthmeier\u2019s committee used the funds to oppose proposals on the November 2024 ballot that would have installed a right to an abortion and legalized recreational marijuana. DeSantis stridently opposed both measures, which failed to get the 60 percent support needed to pass.<\/p>\n First reported by CBS News Miami, the grand jury report found the money was \u201cmisappropriated\u201d but did not find enough evidence to charge anyone with a crime.<\/p>\n DeSantis appointed Uthmeier to the Cabinet office in February 2025.<\/p>\n House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell of Tampa last week called for a special session to consider Uthmeier\u2019s impeachment.<\/p>\n Pitch in to help make the Tampa Bay Journalism Project a success.<\/a><\/p>\n Subscribe to Creative Loafing newsletters.<\/a><\/p>\n Follow us:\u00a0Google News<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0NewsBreak<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Reddit<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Facebook\u00a0<\/a>|\u00a0BlueSky<\/a><\/p>\n This article appears in September 10 \u2013 16, 2026<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n \t