Freedom of speech is something politicians love to praise, until it’s used to expose their dirty laundry. The latest example involves Florida’s child welfare agency trying to silence a journalist who got a little too close to the DeSantis family’s affairs. Recently, the Orlando Sentinel began working on a story about the Hope Florida Foundation, a nonprofit connected to Florida’s First Lady, Casey DeSantis. The article reportedly included critical views of the organization, which clearly didn’t sit well with the state. In response, the Department of Children and Families (DCF), led by an official appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis, sent a cease-and-desist letter to the newspaper.
Was the article defamatory? That’s for readers to decide. What’s clear is that it struck a nerve, particularly with Casey DeSantis. The letter accused the reporter of pressuring foster families when talking about the Hope Florida Foundation. It’s a serious allegation, one that Orlando Sentinel Executive Editor Roger Simmons strongly denies. He called the claims completely false and reaffirmed the paper’s commitment to reporting on matters of public interest.
Despite that, DCF repeated its accusation and continued to frame the reporter as the one in the wrong. Their press secretary insisted that foster families had been harassed. Legal experts, however, saw the situation differently. Clay Calvert, a media law professor, called the letter an obvious attempt to block unfavorable press coverage before it’s even published. He stated that the Sentinel has no legal obligation to follow the letter and should ignore it.
And that appears to be exactly what the newspaper is doing. Rather than backing down, they’re pressing forward with the story. All of this is happening while a bigger scandal brews in the background. The Hope Florida Foundation is already under investigation for how it handled $10 million from a Medicaid settlement.
That money allegedly flowed through nonprofits connected to the foundation and then to political committees aligned with DeSantis. Governor DeSantis has brushed off the controversy, claiming it’s a politically motivated attack on his wife. But the questions raised by this situation are not going away.
This news quickly drew widespread attention online, with many users openly expressing support for the Orlando Sentinel. One commenter wrote, “Go Orlando Sentinel, keep telling truth to power,” while others directly criticized Ron and Casey DeSantis. Some users remarked that the governor has never been someone who respects the Constitution or the First Amendment.
