Gov. Ron DeSantis did not need to disclose that a $28,000 golf simulator installed in the Florida Governor’s Mansion had been provided by a longtime political donor because the equipment was, in fact, a gift to the state, the Florida Commission on Ethics has determined.

The decision, made behind closed doors last week, was announced Wednesday in a two-paragraph public report signed by Florida Commission on Ethics Chairperson Ashley Lukis, wife of DeSantis’ former chief of staff.

The decision hinged in part on an interview with the donor, Morteza “Mori” Hosseini, who said he initially intended for the governor to use the equipment but eventually wanted the simulator to be used more broadly by public employees, including the governor’s security detail.

Investigative documents made public Wednesday state that the golf simulator, installed in 2019, was located in a private area of the governor’s mansion called the “cabana” alongside other gym equipment to be used only by the governor and his family.

DeSantis’ office didn’t immediately respond to questions regarding how many times he’s allowed employees to use the golf simulator — logged in state records as valued at $1.

Florida’s gift disclosure rules require that public officials disclose each quarter any gifts received worth more than $100. But acting on the advice of DeSantis’ then-deputy general counsel and ethics officer, James Uthmeier, Hosseini officially loaned the simulator for an indeterminate period of time to the Governor’s Mansion Commission, the ethics report states — making the simulator state property, rather than a gift to DeSantis.

While the Governor’s Mansion Commission must vote on furnishings to the mansion that are displayed in public rooms or on the grounds, they are not required to vote on those stored in private areas, such as the cabana’s gym, as detailed in a memorandum to the Ethics Commission from the governor’s lawyers.

“The public purpose is the same public purpose served by the other Mansion-owned exercise equipment in the cabana gym: the physical health and wellness of the state’s chief executive, who would find it impracticable and potentially unsafe to exercise in public,” states a memorandum provided to the Ethics Commission by the governor’s counsel.

The Ethics Commission dismissed the case following a five-minute probable cause hearing on July 26 in a closed-door meeting. No questions were asked, according to a recording. The commissioners voted unanimously to find no probable cause.

The complainant, Victor Obringer of Sarasota, could not be reached on Wednesday.

Hosseini and DeSantis

Hosseini is the CEO of the Daytona Beach-based ICI Homes, one of the state’s largest residential home builders. He serves on the board of directors of Space Florida and the University of Florida Board of Trustees, appointments made by DeSantis.

Hosseini is a key DeSantis ally. He and four of his companies donated just over $1 million to DeSantis’ presidential Super PAC, Never Back Down, according to federal records. He has also frequently lent DeSantis his private plane, according to the New York Times.

(The state ethics commission also dismissed last week a complaint alleging DeSantis failed to disclose free air travel in 2023 arranged by the conservative think tank And To The Republic.)

Hosseini first met DeSantis in 2011 or 2012 when the then-congressional candidate “asked him for his support,” according to the investigative report.

Hosseini “said from that initial meeting, not only did he support then-candidate DeSantis for that specific campaign, but they also developed a friendship,” states the report.

Hosseini said he and DeSantis “played golf together often” prior to his inauguration in 2019 “after which they found it difficult to play due to the Governor’s time constraints, notoriety, and security issues,” the report states. Hosseini said he then offered DeSantis the golf simulator to “keep his skills honed.”

Ultimately, though, Hosseini said he wanted the golf simulator to be used more broadly, saying that “although his purchase of the golf simulator was prompted by the Governor’s difficulty in being able to play golf, his intention was always for anyone on the Governor’s Mansion staff, including the Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents that are assigned to the Governor’s Mansion, to use the equipment,” states the investigative report.

Hosseini could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.

Times/Herald staff writer Lawrence Mower contributed to this report.