Michelle DeMarco/Florida Trident

A $67 million Medicaid settlement deal at the center of a criminal investigation reaching the top levels of the DeSantis Administration was struck without any oversight from the state’s Chief Financial Officer, in contravention of traditional practice and possibly of Florida law.The Florida statute that governs money owed to the state requires the CFO to audit the “accounts of all the officers of the state” in regard to transactions like last year’s controversial settlement with Medicaid contractor Centene Corp. that saw $10 million in public proceeds funneled through the Casey DeSantis-affiliated Hope Florida Foundation to attack a referendum staunchly opposed by her husband, Gov. Ron DeSantis, to legalize cannabis.

Florida state agency head Pedro Allende, whose six-figure salary is being targeted for suspension due to an unsatisfactory job performance, has been nominated by President Donald Trump to fill a high-ranking position at the Department of Homeland Security.

A non-profit organization tied to the Florida Chamber of Commerce now at the center of the governor’s Hope Florida controversy involving the diversion of millions of dollars in state Medicaid settlement funds for political purposes, has a history of funneling money to political operatives attempting to sway election outcomes in Florida.

Florida’s public records laws, at one time nationally hailed as a model for government transparency and openness, are once again the target of multiple legislative efforts to restrict public access to key information.Prominent among the bills are those which would curtail the public’s right to know personal information such as home addresses of certain officials elected to represent Floridians, the folks who regulate the state’s judges, and even medical examiners.