Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Shevaun Harris got through her second Senate confirmation hearing Monday.
However, Department of Children and Families Secretary Taylor Hatch's appearance before the Ethics and Elections Committee was postponed.
Committee Chair Sen. Don Gaetz said after the meeting he made the decision based on the anticipated questions and debate and a limited amount of time – two hours – scheduled for the meeting.
"I called her and I asked her if it would be alright if we postponed until the next meeting," said Gaetz, R-Niceville. "She agreed, solely for the purpose of time."
Gaetz added he expects the committee to meet again next week.
Nearly 140 appointments by Gov. Ron DeSantis successfully went before the committee, with Harris and three others appearing before the panel to answer questions.
Harris was approved in a 7-1 vote. Sen. Tina Polsky, D-Boca Raton, voted against her confirmation. Her appointment now awaits action by the full Senate, which has just under three weeks remaining in the scheduled regular session.
Harris and Hatch failed to be confirmed by the full Senate last year, neither advancing past Ethics and Elections.
Appointees who fail to receive Senate confirmation a second time cannot remain in their posts under state law.
The 2025 action was viewed as a snub to DeSantis amid a widening House probe into first lady Casey DeSantis' signature welfare assistance program.
Democrats on Monday grilled Harris on issues around Hope Florida – a program spearheaded by Casey DeSantis that operates across numerous state agencies – and the Hope Florida Foundation, a direct-support organization affiliated with DCF.
The most high-profile issue involves a $10 million donation Centene, the state's largest Medicaid managed-care provider, made to the Hope Florida Foundation.
The donation from Centene was part of a $67 million settlement with the state Agency for Health Care Administration.
The foundation directed its share to nonprofits, that in turn donated money to a political committee that was fighting constitutional amendments before voters in 2024.
At the time, Harris was DCF secretary. She was appointed as AHCA Secretary in February 2025 and Hatch was appointed to take on Harris' role leading DCF.
Harris told the committee on Monday that in hindsight, staff's action was "very well-intentioned," but the distribution of the funds would not be approved today due to the "fallout."
Asked by Polsky to clarify why a similar distribution wouldn't occur now, Harris replied, "Every indication from what I have seen, the conversations that I had, no one did anything wrong."
Polsky argued that no one has been held responsible for the "theft" of the Centene money.
"I'm not saying it was your fault that it happened, but I don't know how we can let this continue to slide for the last two years," Polsky told Harris. "You oversaw the agency where it happened."
However, Sen. Darryl Rouson, D-St. Petersburg, said in supporting Harris' nomination that no indictments have been handed down since State Attorney Jack Campbell opened an investigation last spring.
After failing to be confirmed last year, Gov. DeSantis reappointed Hatch and Harris in July.
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