Florida’s child welfare agency has sent a letter to a newspaper telling it to “cease and desist” its reporting on foster families for a story about a nonprofit associated with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ wife.

Records related to a state House probe of a nonprofit linked to First Lady Casey DeSantis’ signature Hope Florida assistance program are part of an “open” investigation, Leon County State Attorney Jack Campbell’s office said.

Scrutiny of a welfare program that is the signature initiative of Florida first lady Casey DeSantis is threatening to undermine a potential run to succeed her husband as governor, as well as his own presidential ambitions.

Rep. Alex Andrade, a Pensacola Republican who chairs the House Health Care Budget Subcommittee, announced the decision after the Hope Florida Foundation’s lawyer, Jeff Aaron, and leaders of nonprofits that received $5 million grants from the foundation refused to appear before the panel.

The chairman of a foundation tied to Hope Florida aid under oath Tuesday that “mistakes were made” with the foundation’s record keeping, as a skirmish over the group’s finances continued to escalate.

Amid an escalating feud between Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Republican-controlled House, the chamber’s budget chairman on Friday sent letters to six state agencies seeking a broad array of documents as part of a probe into government spending.

Florida Republicans are advancing a proposal to ban classroom lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity through the eighth grade, expanding the controversial law critics call “Don’t Say Gay.”.

Florida House Bill 999 aims to target diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, also known as DEI, and the study of critical race theory at all of the state’s public universities.