Audit raises oversight questions over Florida COVID relief spending

9/30/2026

Florida COVID-19 relief audit raises new questions about $1 billion in spending See how Rep. Jared Moskowitz is defending the agency as election tensions rise

An audit has renewed scrutiny of how Florida’s emergency management agency handled more than $1 billion in COVID19 relief funds while Rep. Jared Moskowitz, DFla., led the department. The 2022 state audit said the Florida Division of Emergency Management did not properly monitor subrecipients of Coronavirus Relief Fund money, including reviewing reports or following up on deficiencies. The report covered grants distributed to local government recipients during the 20202021 fiscal year and the next year. Moskowitz, who is now running for reelection in a competitive Florida district, said he left the agency before the report was issued and defended his record, saying the state had one of the strongest pandemic responses in the country. His Republican opponent, Scott Singer, argued the findings showed a broader lack of oversight of taxpayer money. The two are set to meet in Florida’s general election on Nov. 3.