End Privileged Private Equity's Bayview Lawbreaking; Three Cheers for Judicial Independence in Our Town and Our Time!

July 20, 2021 was a date that will live in infamy. Five St. Johns Couty Commissioners rubber-stamped ROGERS TOWERS' contact of adhesion whereby a respected non-profit transferred its lease to private equity.  Profiteering from Medicare patients. Eliminating employee benefits.  Trashing our Open Records rights. 

St. Johns County must protect its assets, our rights and the lives of Bayview residents and renegotiate the sweetheart 60 year contract violation of public policy by which private equity was given a no-bid contract to take over the once-proud non-profit skilled nursing facility on County land at 161 Marine Street?  

Let's give notice of intent to file a declaratory judgment.  Let's give notice of intent to issue an RFP for a replacement contractor, preferably a non-profit, not another greedy absentee owner billionaires. 

Congratulations to St. Johns County and Assistant County Attorney Ryan Ross for winning the Agrihood case before St. Johns County Circuit Court Judge Howard Ogle McGillin, Jr.  There's a link to Judge McGillin's final binding order on edslavin.com 

Three cheers for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1lth Circuit and to Judge Claire Kelly in the Southeast Development Partners case, rejecting flummery and affirming the dodgy developer's legally enforceable commitment to pay some $60 million for SR 16 road improvements, affirming St. Johns County Commission's unanimous order.

Does anyone here think Michelle O'Connell committed suicide?  Well neither do I.  September 2 is the  16th anniversary of her death.  

Two respected independent judges found probable cause to believe that Michelle's boyfriend, St. Johns County Sheriff's Deputy Jeremy Banks, committed homicide.  County Court Judge Charles J. Tinlin.  U.S. District Court Judge Brian J. Davis.  Ex-Sheriff David Shoar's efforts stirring up a bogus lawsuit against FDLE Special Agent Rusty Ray Rodgers failed miserably, as did snollygoster Shoar's efforts to be elected State Senator. 

Justice for Michelle O'Connell. Justice for Eli Wasshtock.  Let justice be done.  July 20,2021 was a date that will live in infamy. Five St. Johns Couty Commissioners rubber-stamped ROGERS TOWERS' contact of adhesion whereby a respected non-profit transferred its lease to private equity.  Profiteering from Medicare patients. Eliminating employee benefit

When will St. Johns County protect the lives of Bayview residents and renegotiate the sweetheart 60 year contract violation of public policy by which private equity was given a no-bid contract to take over the once-proud non-profit skilled nursing facility on County land at 161 Marine Street?  

Let's give notice of intent to file a declaratory judgment.  Let's give notice of intent to issue an RFP for a replacement contractor, preferably a non-profit, not a billionaires. 

Congratulations to St. Johns County Assistant County Attorney Ryan Ross for winning the Agrihood case before St. Johns County Circuit Court Judge Howard Ogle McGillin, Jr.  There's a link to Judge McGillin's final binding order on edslavin.com.

Three cheers for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1lth Circuit and to Judge Claire Kelly in the Southeast Development Partners case, affirming the dodgy developer's legally enforceable commitment to pay some $60 million for SR 16 road improvements, affirming St. Johns County Commission's unanimous order.

Does anyone here think Michelle O'Connell committed suicide?  Well neither do I.  September 2 is the  16th anniversary of her death.  

Two respected independent judges found probable cause to believe that Michelle's boyfriend, St. Johns County Sheriff's Deputy Jeremy Banks, committed homicide.  County Court Judge Charles J. Tinlin.  U.S. District Court Judge Brian J. Davis.  Ex-Sheriff David Shoar's efforts stirring up a bogus lawsuit against FDLE Special Agent Rusty Ray Rodgers failed miserably, as did snollygoster Shoar's efforts to be elected State Senator. 

Justice for Michelle O'Connell. Justice for Eli Wasshtock.  Let justice be done.  When will St. Johns County protect the lives of Bayview residents and renegotiate the sweetheart 60 year contract violation of public policy by which private equity was given a no-bid contract to take over the once-proud non-profit skilled nursing facility on County land at 161 Marine Street. 

Congratulations to St. Johns County Assistant County Attorney Ryan Ross for winning the Agrihood case before St. Johns County Circuit Court Judge Howard Ogle McGillin, Jr.  There's a link to Judge McGillin's final binding order on edslavin.com.

Three cheers for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1lth Circuit and to Judge Claire Kelly in the Southeast Development Partners case, affirming the dodgy developer's legally enforceable commitment to pay some $60 million for SR 16 road improvements, affirming St. Johns County Commission's unanimous order.

Does anyone here think Michelle O'Connell committed suicide?  Well neither do I.  September 2 is the  16th anniversary of her death.  

Two respected independent judges found probable cause to believe that Michelle's boyfriend, St. Johns County Sheriff's Deputy Jeremy Banks, committed homicide.  County Court Judge Charles J. Tinlin.  U.S. District Court Judge Brian J. Davis.  Ex-Sheriff David Shoar's efforts stirring up a bogus lawsuit against FDLE Special Agent Rusty Ray Rodgers failed miserably, as did snollygoster Shoar's efforts to be elected State Senator. 

Justice for Michelle O'Connell. Justice for Eli Washtock.  Let justice be done.  

ANNALS OF DeSANTI$TAN: Angie Nixon Hits Hard as GOP Rival Linked to $10M Florida Scandal—What Polls Show (Andrew Stanton, Newsweek, August 27, 2026)

From Newsweek:

Nixon Hits Hard as GOP Rival Linked to $10M Florida Scandal—What Polls Show

By Andrew Stanton

Reporter

---

PUBLISHED

AUG 27, 2026 AT 12:28 PM EDT

UPDATED

AUG 27, 2026 AT 04:37 PM EDT

Florida Democratic Senate candidate Angie Nixon criticized Republican Senator Ashley Moody after a grand jury report named Moody in a plan to move $10 million from a Medicaid settlement to the Hope Florida Foundation, a nonprofit set up by Florida first lady Casey DeSantis.

Once a battleground state, Florida has shifted to Republicans over the past decade, and Moody has been seen as the favorite in her race against state Representative Nixon, a democratic socialist who won the party’s primary earlier in August. Moody, the former Florida attorney general, was appointed to her new role after then-Senator Marco Rubio was appointed secretary of state in the Trump administration and now faces an election in November to finish the current term.

What Grand Jury Report Said About Senator Moody

CBS Miami published a sealed grand jury report Wednesday from an investigation into the funds. It focuses on the $10 million from a settlement between Florida and Centene, a state vendor for Medicaid. The $10 million was sent to the Hope Florida Foundation, and parts of those funds were later transferred to political groups, according to the report. It concluded that the funds were “misappropriated.”

Read More on Politics

The report said jurors heard testimony from former Chief Deputy Attorney General John Guard, who served while Moody was the attorney general. He said he had raised “political concerns about the dedication of $10,000,000 to Hope Florida.”

Guard said he shared those concerns with Moody “because he knew the deal would be viewed by the legislature as a constraint on their spending authority.”

“His political concerns were resolved by the change to the agreement making the settlement AHCA's agreement rather than the AG's settlement agreement, as the problem would now be AHCA's problem rather than the AG's problem. He signed the agreement releasing the claims on behalf of the Attorney General's Office, but according to him, it was not his settlement, it was AHCA's settlement,” the report reads.

The grand jury report did not suggest Moody knew the funds would later be transferred to political organizations after they were sent to the foundation. The grand jury began its probe in August 2025.

Craig Burnett, professor and chair of political science at Florida Atlantic University, told Newsweek it could hurt Moody’s campaign but it is “hard to know” by how much.

“This is where the senator’s challenger plays the largest role. Angie Nixon has been making corruption a major part of her campaign, and it seemed to work with Democratic primary voters,” he said. “If she is able to turn this report and any subsequent revelations into a steady drumbeat of bad headlines, it will hurt more. If this dies a quiet death after a normal news cycle, less so, but it remains a stump speech regular.”

Ashley Moody Responds to Grand Jury Report

Moody addressed the report in a post on X.

“There have been numerous reports that misrepresent the facts surrounding an AHCA settlement agreement that has been available to the public for two years,” she wrote.

he said the settlement agreement was “negotiated by AHCA, a Florida healthcare agency" and “made clear how settlement money would be dispersed, to include funds going to Hope Florida." Her office “was one of multiple agencies that signed the final agreement for execution and release of claims," she said.

“The AG’s office had no knowledge of how funds would be spent or played any role in how Hope Florida, AHCA, or the legislature would spend the settlement money. Attempts to characterize this any other way are disingenuous,” she wrote.

A spokesperson pointed to her post when contacted by Newsweek on Thursday.

Governor Ron DeSantis' Communications Director Alex Lanfranconi wrote in a statement to Newsweek, "This baseless smear has been debunked over and over again. In fact, if any confidential grand jury report was leaked to the press, that’s the only crime committed."

The administration has faced scrutiny over the $10 million to the Hope Florida Foundation, whose goal is to help move Florida residents off government aidby connecting them with faith-based or charitable organizations. The grand jury report alleged that the money was spent on a political campaign and went to the Republican Party of Florida.

Angie Nixon Calls on Moody's Resignation

The grand jury report quickly became a political issue in the Senate race, with Nixon calling for Moody’s resignation after the grand jury report was published

“None of this is leadership. None of this shows good judgment. None of this shows courage. Instead, it is deep, disgusting corruption. Ashley Moody has proven she will sell out vulnerable Florida families if she thinks it gives her or her extremist friends more power. She has broken the public trust, and she must resign immediately,” Nixon wrote in a statement provided to Newsweek.

Ashley Moody vs. Angie Nixon: What Polls Show

Burnett said he believes the race will be “closer than one might guess.”

“Liberal candidates are energizing voters. Nixon won her primary on a shoestring budget. Many voters don’t know her yet, so she will poll lower. But, she represents change,” he said.

No polling has been published since Nixon’s primary victory, but some prior surveys showed Moody with a lead over Nixon. A University of North Florida poll showed Moody with an 8-point lead over Nixon, 50 percent to 42 percent. It surveyed 848 likely voters from July 8 to 17, 2026, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points. It was first reported by Florida Politics.

A poll from the Stetson University Center for Public Opinion Research showed Moody up 13 points, 51 percent to 38 percent. It surveyed 848 Florida adults from March 25 to April 13, 2026, and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.1 percentage points.

Moody is also favored in prediction markets.

As of Thursday morning, Moody had a 91.5 percent chance of victory over Nixon on Kalshi. On Polymarket, she had a 92 percent chance, suggesting traders view her as a strong favorite to win reelection.

Prediction markets let traders buy and sell contracts tied to political outcomes and current events, aggregating real-money wagers into probability estimates. Prices fluctuate as traders react to polling, fundraising, candidate developments and broader political trends. They measure trader sentiment at a given moment but do not always predict the future accurately.

A Former Battleground

For much of the 2000s, Florida was one of the nation's most contested states. It narrowly voted for Presidents George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004 and Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012. In 2016, President Donald Trump won it by only about a point. But it has steadily shifted rightward since, backing him in 2020 and 2024, by 13 points in his most recent election.

Republicans have gained ground in the state by making inroads among Latino voters, flipping traditionally Democratic areas, including Miami-Dade County. Meanwhile, an influx of conservative retirees has also added to Republicans’ advantage. Those victories allowed Republicans to enact a wave of conservative policies that may also draw Republican voters fleeing more left-leaning states.

Republicans have also expanded their voter registration advantage, while Democrats have struggled to remain competitive in statewide races. As of July 31, Florida had 5,607,836 registered Republicans and 4,066,503 registered Democrats, plus 3,327,656 "no party affiliation" voters, according to the Florida Division of Elections.

What Happens Next

It remained unclear whether the report would significantly affect the Florida Senate race. Forecasters have given Moody an advantage, with the Cook Political Report and Sabato’s Crystal Ball both considering it solid or safe for Moody.

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Gabe Whisnant, Sam Wilson, Gray R. Thomas. 

L: Florida Senator Ashley Moody speaks in Washington, D.C., on September 17, 2025. R: Florida state Representative Angie Nixon speaks with supporters ... | Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images and Joe Raedle/Getty Images

ANNALS OF TRUMPI$TAN: S.E.C. Investigating Near-Implosion of A.I. Hedge Fund. (Rob Copeland & Matthew Goldstein, NY Times, August 24, 2026)

From The New York Times:

S.E.C. Investigating Near-Implosion of A.I. Hedge Fund

Regulators sent subpoenas to major Wall Street banks seeking information about the trading of Situational Awareness, three people briefed on the outreach said.

Listen · 3:23 min

Situational Awareness was founded two years ago by Leopold Aschenbrenner, formerly of OpenAI.Credit...Nicholas Albrecht for The New York Times

By Rob Copeland and Matthew Goldstein

Aug. 24, 2026
Situational Awareness, a once hot A.I.-focused hedge fund led by a 24-year-old, became the talk of Wall Street when it nearly imploded late last month.Now it is attracting attention from securities regulators, too.The Securities and Exchange Commission recently sent subpoenas to banks that handled the hedge fund’s calamitous trading and that fed it borrowed money to supersize its bets, according to three people briefed on the outreach who were not permitted to discuss it publicly.The subpoenas asked for details on the timing of Situational Awareness’s trades and for its communications with lenders about the money it was borrowing, also known as “leverage,” two of those people said. The subpoenas additionally warned the banks to preserve any information regarding the San Francisco hedge fund.The S.E.C. oversees financial markets with an eye toward protecting small investors, and has brought civil cases regularlyagainst investment firms that produced large losses. Any investigation into Situational Awareness would be at its earliest stages, and it’s no guarantee that it would lead to fines or other punishment. The hedge fund has not been accused of wrongdoing.“It is to be expected that regulators would closely examine any funds that are high profile, produce significant returns or have particularly dramatic drawdowns,” a Situational Awareness spokesman said in a statement. “We are a highly regulated business and will cooperate to the fullest extent with any regulatory request.”The S.E.C. declined to comment.At its peak, Situational Awareness managed more than $30 billion, and borrowed tens of billions more. It was a major client of firms including Bank of America, Citi, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase, according to a regulatory filing.Spokespeople for Bank of America, Citi, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan declined to comment.Situational Awareness had a fast rise and an even quicker retreat. Founded just two years ago by Leopold Aschenbrenner, a former researcher at OpenAI, it rode the A.I. boom to soaring investment returns.To achieve those results, however, the fund relied on heavy borrowing, as well as complicated and expensive financial instruments that magnify gains — and losses. The latter piled up quickly last month when the stock prices of publicly traded, high-flying A.I. companies dipped. At the same time, shares in more traditional technology companies — which the hedge fund had been betting against — rose, compounding the problem.Situational Awareness was forced into a fire sale. It wound up selling most of its stock portfolio to a rival, Citadel, at a discount.(A Citadel spokesman declined to comment when asked whether the firm had received a subpoena.)Situational Awareness still has some hope. The fund held on to a stake in the A.I. company Anthropic, which has plans to go public at a valuation that could be as high as $2 trillion. Mr. Aschenbrenner’s wife is the chief of staff to Anthropic’s chief executive, Dario Amodei.

Rob Copeland is a finance reporter for The Times, writing about Wall Street and the banking industry.

Matthew Goldstein is a Times reporter who covers Wall Street and white-collar crime and housing issues.

A version of this article appears in print on Aug. 26, 2026, Section B, Page 4 of the New York edition with the headline: S.E.C. Is Investigating The Near-Implosion Of an A.I. Hedge Fund. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe