Reword and rewrite the following article in HTML, use a hip journalistic writing style and make the heading statements in H3 or bold font where necessary: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration diverted more than $35 million in taxpayer funds that investigators say were used to influence last year’s ballot fights over abortion and recreational cannabis, according to a months-long investigation by the Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times.
The money, originally allocated for healthcare, child welfare and opioid recovery programs, was instead used to pay for political consultants, legal services and a sweeping advertising campaign that made exaggerated or misleading claims about marijuana. The ads aired across television, radio and social media in the weeks leading up to the 2024 election, while avoiding any direct mention of Amendment 3, the proposed constitutional amendment that would have legalized adult-use cannabis in Florida.
Amendment 3 ultimately received roughly 57% of the vote, falling just short of the 60% threshold required to pass. A parallel abortion rights measure, Amendment 4, failed under the same rule.
The investigation found that at least $36.2 million in public funds was tapped by the DeSantis administration, with approximately 79% of that money coming from healthcare-related sources. Reporters traced the spending through Florida’s budgeting and payment systems, reviewing thousands of pages of emails, vendor records and state transactions.
Among the largest sources: $1.1 million from the Department of Children and Families’ child protection program, $4 million from Florida’s opioid settlement trust fund and nearly $1 million from the Department of Health’s community public health promotion budget. The opioid settlement money had been earmarked to support communities disproportionately affected by substance misuse.
Another $10 million stemmed from a Medicaid settlement with healthcare contractor Centene. As previously reported, that money was directed to the Hope Florida Foundation, a nonprofit founded by First Lady Casey DeSantis, before $8.5 million was routed to a political committee controlled by the governor’s then–chief of staff, James Uthmeier. That transaction is currently the subject of a grand jury investigation. No criminal charges have been filed in connection with the spending as of publication.
Earlier drafts of the Centene settlement did not include Hope Florida as a recipient. The foundation was added less than two weeks after President Donald Trump endorsed the cannabis amendment and shortly before mail-in ballots were sent to voters.
State officials described the ad blitz as a series of “public service announcements.” But emails and vendor records reviewed by the Herald and Times indicate the effort was designed to influence the outcome of the election, targeting higher-propensity voters and ramping up precisely as early voting began.
The ads themselves included claims that cannabis is “often tied to domestic abuse,” that teen marijuana use increases the risk of psychotic disorders by more than 1,000%, and that “if y
