In 2021, Florida made a big blunder when it came to paying a healthcare company during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) had an agreement with Trinity Health Care Services to help register people for the COVID vaccine. But, instead of paying the $50,578.50 they owed, Florida accidentally sent a whopping $5,057,850—yes, five million dollars more than necessary!
But that wasn’t the only overpayment. As USA Today’s Ana Goñi-Lessan reports, Florida continued sending extra funds to Trinity. Now, the state is taking legal action to get that overpaid money back.
In 2021, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, a Democrat now serving in the U.S. House of Representatives, was the CEO of Trinity. She’s been the subject of an unrelated ethics complaint, according to USA Today. This adds an interesting layer to the story.
The Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) was not pleased when it realized the mistake. In a letter sent to Trinity on June 13, 2024, FDEM’s Deputy Executive Director, Stephanie Houp, reminded them that “doing business with the State of Florida means returning any money received by mistake.”
In a tweet responding to the story, Jacob Rubashkin from Inside Elections couldn’t believe the numbers, saying, “Holy cow! Florida says it accidentally paid a healthcare company $5.7 million instead of $50k. That company’s CEO, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, then loaned herself $6.2 million to win a congressional race.”
Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick first won a special election to the U.S. House in 2022, then was re-elected in a regular election later that year and again in 2024.
But the real drama centers on the overpayments. As of now, the total is more than $5.7 million. The State of Florida is suing Trinity, demanding the return of money for work that wasn’t done, and they’re also asking for damages, interest, attorney fees, and other costs related to the situation.
It’s certainly a story that keeps giving, with questions of overpayments, political connections, and a multi-million-dollar lawsuit.