Credit: Dave Decker/Creative Loafing Tampa Bay
Rather than witness his 14th execution so far this year, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was instead in Tampa Tuesday evening sharing a stage with Republican candidates, and also getting grilled by audience members over the ongoing Hope Florida scandal.
While speaking at the TPepin’s Hospitality Centre, DeSantis was in the midst of introducing Republican gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds when he was interrupted by Tampa Bay Democrat Ben Braver, who is currently running for Florida State House District 65 against Karen Gonzalez-Pittman.
“Thank you so much, Ron DeSantis,” shouted Braver from the audience. “You showed true leadership stealing $10 million from poor kids and putting it into your politically motivated PACs!”
While being escorted from the ballroom, Braver also slammed Donalds for his support of data centers. “And thank you, Data Center Donalds, for taking $6 million from data center companies! You show where your true values lie! Six million from data center companies! Thank you, Data Center Donalds! Thank you, Ron DeSantis, for stealing $10 million from sick kids!”
During the self-described “Leadership Forum,” at least four other people attempted to disrupt the event — one was accused by DeSantis of being funded by the right’s favorite antisemitic trope, George Soros.
“Hey, Soros isn’t paying you enough because you’re not very good at this,” shouted a visibly wet DeSantis. “You should try again, he needs to pay some better talent instead of having people like you show up. This ain’t my first rodeo, lady. I’ve seen it all and you ain’t very good at it.”
DeSantis has had a hard time shaking the Hope Florida controversy, which has also embroiled fellow Republicans U.S. Senator Ashley Moody and Attorney General James Uthmeier.
While no criminal charges were recommended, the damning statewide grand jury report found that $10 million in Medicaid funds, meant to help sick, poor children get healthcare, were instead “misappropriated” and wound up being used by Republicans for “political activities.”
After the report was first published by CBS Miami, House Democrats called for the impeachment of Uthmeier for his role in leading the committees, which used the money to combat proposals on the November 2024 ballot pushing for abortion rights and legalized recreational marijuana.
“The grand jury clearly found that this was a criminal action involving the misappropriation of taxpayer money — your money, my money, our money — by Republicans at the highest levels of state government who put their own political ambitions over helping the people they were elected to serve,” said House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell of Tampa on Wednesday.
“We must show that corruption, even at the highest levels of state government, will not be tolerated.”
While DeSantis has tried to label the report as a Democratic “hoax,” the grand jury proceedings were initiated by Rep. Alex Andrade, a Pensacola Republican who led the House probe in the matter in 2025.
A version of this story first appeared in Creative Loafing Tampa Bay.
