Hope Florida scandal blows up (again).
After months of cover-up, a grand jury report on the Hope Florida scandal documents millions of dollars that were ‘misappropriated’. Ten million dollars of Medicaid funds that should have been used to help poor Florida children were, instead, rerouted by the DeSantis administration for political purposes. The grand jury report detailing this abuse has been kept secret for months. Now, the public gets to see the depth of the scandal. WFIT’s Terri Wright has more.
A Florida grand jury found that the DeSantis administration misappropriated $10 million from a Medicaid settlement, directing the money to the Hope Foundation, a nonprofit linked to First Lady Casey DeSantis, and ultimately to political committees.
The grand jury’s still sealed report, filed with the Leon County Clerk of Courts in January, described the transfer as part of a “sophisticated scheme to fund political activities,” but found insufficient evidence to bring criminal charges. The report also said former Attorney General Ashley Moody knew about the plans and authorized her chief deputy to sign the settlement. The investigation reportedly derailed Casey DeSantis’ potential campaign for governor. The report’s release has also been delayed, reportedly by Attorney General James Uthmeier, who is running for election this year.
Brevard officials back LNG site at the space center.
Brevard County Commissioners approved a letter supporting LNG (liquified natural gas) infrastructure at Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral. The decision comes five months after a similar proposal for an LNG facility at Port Canaveral was rejected. The previous Port Canaveral proposal was stopped due to concerns about safety, noise, and its proximity to residential areas.
How dolphins communicate.
Florida Atlantic University scientists are studying how dolphins and their prey listen to each other off Florida's east coast. FAU scientists used an marine robot equipped with an acoustic recorder to listen for sounds in the waters off Florida. They captured a rare listen into the acoustic lives of dolphins. Findings suggest dolphins may be listening for fish, and fish may quiet down when they detect dolphins. Understanding this acoustic behavior could help protect vital dolphin habitats like the Indian River Lagoon.
Report on Emergency Management payments delayed.
Florida emergency management officials were supposed to documents their spending of millions of dollars over a month ago. Now state legislators are demanding answers for the delay. Rep. Anna Eskamani said neither chamber of the Florida legislature can say for certain how much money is left in the fund the state depends on when a storm hits. It was reported earlier this year that nearly $600 million of the disaster fund was diverted to the Alligator Alcatraz detention center. The head of the Division of Emergency Management, Kevin Guthrie, abruptly left the job last week.
DeSantis speaks out about Flock cameras.
Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday that roadside cameras that use artificial intelligence to photograph and log vehicle data are useful tools for law enforcement agencies to fight crime.
“ I'm all about having law enforcement have tools to be able to hold criminals accountable. I think that's important that we do that, but I don't wanna have this become a surveillance state. At what point are we just gonna be free to not have to deal with any of that? I think it needs to be overhauled for sure.”
But Flock cameras shouldn’t be used for traffic tickets; only police officers should issue tickets. The Governor wants state lawmakers to pass legislation to regulate their use. The governor this year unsuccessfully pushed for the state legislature to pass an AI Bill of Rights.
