Hope Florida probe ended but DeSantis should commit to a legacy of transparency | Opinion

When Gov. Ron DeSantis ended his presidential campaign last year, it led many to wonder what’s next? It was a fair question to ask. He’s term limited as governor, but now, people should be asking a different question: Will Hope Florida tarnish DeSantis’ legacy or is it the end of his political career?

At this point, it seems DeSantis dodged a bullet.

The evidence mounting was becoming difficult to ignore, but on Thursday, the Florida House backed off from its investigation of Hope Florida after witnesses declined to testify. The initial investigation painted an unflattering picture of Desantis’ potential misdirection of funds.

Hope Florida is more likely to be a footnote and not a blemish on his legacy.

But just because the investigation has ended doesn’t mean the questions went away. The abrupt end leaves more questions than answers and presents DeSantis with an opportunity.

He should embrace transparency.

DeSantis should address the questions surrounding Hope Florida head on and release all records for the program in the name of transparency and accountability. While this seems like a radical idea, it would provide DeSantis with a chance to prove he is more than a cultural warrior with a failed presidential campaign.

For the past seven years, DeSantis has embraced the role of leader in the culture wars, making Florida the tip of the spear in fighting for social conservative values.

From school board appointments, laws making it easier to ban school books and overhauling sex education, to appointing Republicans to various state universities, DeSantis has overhauled Florida’s education curriculum.

And he hasn’t shied away from taking on big corporations — Disney, I’m looking at you — even if it meant costing taxpayers millions in legal fees.

During the pandemic, DeSantis kept Florida open for business when other states such as California were choosing lockdowns.

He has governed with purpose and conviction. And the recent revelations about Hope Florida have called into question his commitment to integrity.

Since his failed 2024 presidential bid, DeSantis has found himself frozen out of Trump’s inner circle and at odds with the Republican-led Legislature, publicly feuding with House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami.

It’s not far-fetched to say that a lot of people are quietly writing DeSantis’ political obituary. But like most recent political scandals, they’re not always career ending the way they used to be. Watergate may have ended Nixon, but Trump being convicted of 34 felonies didn’t dissuade the American people from reelecting him to the White House.

Alas, DeSantis is not Trump and Hope Florida is not Watergate. But it does make you wonder: At the end of the day, will Floridians care?

Recent polling shows DeSantis has an approval rating of over 50%. And while voters may not be overly concerned about Hope Florida, maybe they should be.

Rep. Alex Andrade, the Pensacola Republican who has been leading the investigation, said that although his committee’s work is done for now, he still believes that Uthmeier “engaged in a conspiracy to commit money laundering and wire fraud, and that several parties played a role in the misuse of $10 million in Medicaid funds,” the Herald reported.

If Andrade is right, Hope Florida threatened to expose a different side of a governor who has billed himself as a social conservative who touts family values and principles as someone who is willing to do whatever it takes to get his way.

With the end of the investigation, DeSantis shouldn’t breathe a sigh of relief. He should treat it like a gift and meet the moment with transparency and answer the questions about whether he and his closest allies used their power to steer those $10 million toward their own political causes.

DeSantis’ social conservative victories give him plenty of bragging rights, but Floridians also care about honesty, accountability and good governance. Should he fail to confront the lingering questions about Hope Florida, DeSantis’ wins risk being overshadowed by the perception of corruption and political opportunism.

Transparency is a principle worth defending, and if DeSantis wants to preserve his legacy, he’d be wise to embrace that.

Mary Anna Mancuso is a member of the Miami Herald Editorial Board. Her email: mmancuso@miamiherald.com

This story was originally published April 24, 2025 at 5:44 PM.