Politics
Florida appeals court declines to block political ad citing Hope Florida grand jury report
Attorney General James Uthmeier and the Republican Party of Florida sought to stop TV stations from airing an ad about a grand jury report on a $10 million transfer tied to Hope Florida. The court refused Uthmeier’s request, while a government-accountability group is challenging the court’s decision to expunge the report.
A Florida appeals court has declined to block television stations from airing a Democratic Party ad that cites a grand jury report about the transfer of $10 million connected to the Hope Florida Foundation, despite legal efforts by Attorney General James Uthmeier and the Republican Party of Florida to stop the broadcast.
The First District Court of Appeal rejected Uthmeier’s request for an injunction against stations airing the commercial, which criticizes him using findings from the report. The Republican Party of Florida filed a separate lawsuit seeking to block the ads. A judge initially refused that request, and the party later withdrew its suit.
The dispute centers on a grand jury report that said the DeSantis administration “misappropriated” $10 million from a Medicaid settlement through a scheme to support political activities. The report described money being routed to a political action committee controlled by Uthmeier. Those are the grand jury’s findings, not a criminal conviction.
Earlier this month, the appeals court ordered the report expunged, reasoning that it should not have been released because it could harm people named in it who had not been charged. The court also concluded that the $10 million was not public money.
The transfer has become an issue in Uthmeier’s campaign for attorney general and U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody’s race. Moody was attorney general when the transfer was authorized, according to the grand jury report.
Two Florida state attorneys sent letters to Orlando-area television stations threatening criminal prosecution if they broadcast material about the report, according to the account of the dispute. Uthmeier has also warned journalists that discussing the report could be a criminal act.
Barbara Petersen, executive director of the Florida Center for Government Accountability and a longtime First Amendment advocate, criticized the efforts to suppress the ad. She questioned why political officials could discuss the court’s ruling and report while broadcasters and members of the public faced threats over doing the same.
Late last week, the Florida Center for Government Accountability asked the appeals court to reconsider its decision. The group argues that the court wrongly ordered the report expunged and wrongly concluded the money was not public. It is seeking a hearing before the full panel of judges.
The court’s refusal to block the ad leaves the stations free to air it, while the legal dispute over the report and the status of the transferred funds remains unresolved.