Senate committee backs Siobhan Harris for ACA secretary despite questions about settlement-funded ads

Siobhan Harris, nominated to lead the Agency for Health Care Administration, was recommended favorably by a Florida Senate committee on a 7–1 roll call after a hearing that mixed detailed agency priorities with sharp questions about settlement-related advertising spending.

Harris told the committee she has more than 20 years in state government and laid out priorities including improving financial accountability, enhancing fraud and abuse detection, modernizing technology, and reducing vacancy rates. “We implemented stronger internal controls to ensure proper reconciliation of our trust funds,” she said, and described steps such as contracting for enhanced provider network validation reviews and expanding background-screening capabilities.

The session shifted tone when Sen. Polsky pressed Harris about the department’s prior contracts for prevention advertisements and the use of settlement funds. Polsky asked whether a competitive bid was used for Strategic Digital Services and whether $10,000,000 that went to the Hope Florida Foundation — and about $16,000,000 paid to Strategic Digital Services — were appropriate uses of trust funds. Harris said the department followed procurement requirements and that the opioid settlement includes a prevention line and that the department had provided updates to the opioid-abatement council. “No one thought they were doing anything wrong,” Harris said of the attorneys and staff who handled the settlement, but added she would not attempt to recoup the $10,000,000 now.

Polsky, who recorded the sole no vote, said he could not support confirmation while records and accountability questions about the advertising expenditures remained unresolved. “How is it that no one… has been held responsible for the theft of $10,000,000 from the Florida taxpayers?” he asked.

Committee members who supported Harris pointed to operational improvements under her leadership. Senators praised the Background Screening Clearinghouse turnaround and cited reductions in vacancy rates and steps to increase transparency and oversight of managed-care plans. In her opening, Harris said the agency had reduced its vacancy rate from over 20% to 8.9% and noted growth in programs such as hospital-at-home.

Two public-testimony speakers addressed abortion-related oversight while Harris was before the panel. Cindy Horath, a certified nurse midwife, recounted an abortion-pill-reversal case; Andrew Sherville of Florida Voice for the Unborn urged committee members to support Harris’ confirmation.

Motion and vote: Senator Grawle moved to recommend the confirmation. Roll call recorded yes votes from Senators Avila, Bradley, Garcia, Grawle, Roussaint, Vice Chair Bernard and Chair Gates; Sen. Polsky voted no. By that vote the committee recommended Harris favorably to the full Senate.

The committee forwarded the recommendation to the full Senate; supporters said the full record and any outstanding records requests remain the appropriate forum for additional oversight and potential follow-up.