Uthmeier's Democratic opponent demands 'preservation' of Hope Florida documents

Liv Caputo, Tampa Bay Times on Sep 3, 2026

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TALLAHASSEE — In a letter sent Wednesday to top DeSantis administration officials, Florida’s Democratic nominee for attorney general is demanding that all Hope Florida-related communications be preserved in case of a lawsuit.

José Javier Rodríguez is insisting the officials — and mostly his election-season opponent, Attorney General James Uthmeier — respond within the next two weeks to confirm that all documents are being saved and no disappearing-message apps are being used.

In the 12-page letter, Rodríguez, a former state senator, also accuses Uthmeier of “pilfering” money and being “cowardly” in not answering Hope Florida-related questions.

“This letter is sent in a spirit of good faith and in the interest of justice, to ensure that all evidence is preserved for any future litigation that may be necessary to recover the misappropriated public funds and to vindicate the rights of Florida taxpayers,” Rodríguez wrote.

No litigation, civil or criminal, has been brought against Uthmeier or other DeSantis officials regarding the Hope Florida saga. Rodríguez’s letter only addresses the possibility of future lawsuits.

Uthmeier’s deputy chief of staff, Jeremy Redfern, told the Times/Herald that the letter is nothing more than a campaign ploy.

“This letter is a campaign document that borrows the grammar of a halfwit attorney,” he said.

The demand comes one week after CBS News first reported on an anonymously leaked grand jury report, which found that the DeSantis administration misused $10 million from a Medicaid settlement for political purposes.

The jury found that officials funneled the money through the Hope Florida Foundation, a charity tied to first lady Casey DeSantis, and into two nonprofits that later donated to an anti-marijuana political committee run by Uthmeier, who served at the time as DeSantis’ chief of staff.

No criminal charges were brought, although the jury recommended lawmakers make changes to laws to “prevent this situation” in the future.

Rodríguez’s letter is addressed to Uthmeier, but copied to 19 other officials and agencies — including DeSantis, U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody and Medicaid provider Centene.

He’s asking all entities to comply with his letter, which includes requests to save all forms of communication about Hope Florida and stop using any messaging app or platform with “disappearing” features to talk about Hope Florida-related subjects.

Rodríguez says that if “evidence” is destroyed or hidden and a lawsuit is filed, the accused officials could face criminal liability for destroying or concealing records.

The election is Nov. 3. Both Uthmeier and Rodríguez have spent roughly $1 million on their respective campaigns, but Uthmeier has raised $11 million compared to Rodríguez’s $2 million, according to state spending records.

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