public:cb_mirror:florida_doge_spurs_local_audits_txt_blogposts_30843
To view this on the COS website, click here florida-doge-spurs-local-audits
Florida DOGE spurs local audits
The Sunshine State launched multiple investigations over the summer. They may help reduce property taxes.
| Florida’s Department of Government Efficiency is targeting local governments to purge wasteful spending. Governor Ron DeSantis unveiled the Sunshine State’s equivalent of DOGE in February, vowing to “eliminate redundant boards and commissions … and even audit the spending habits of local entities to shine the light on waste and bloat.” Over the summer, the DOGE task force, now headed by Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, has leaned into the latter task, scrutinizing multiple cities and counties over their “excessive” spending. “We’re ushering in a new era of transparency and accountability in Florida,” Ingoglia explained. “For years, I’ve called out reckless local spending, often on things taxpayers would never support if they knew the full story. As local budgets grow, we must ask whether these increases are truly justified.” “Through the authority of my office and Governor DeSantis’ Florida DOGE initiative, we’re opening the books, demanding answers, and bringing fiscal sanity back,” he added. In Florida, local budgets are partially funded by property taxes, which have “skyrocketed” over the past five years, according to Ingoglia. DOGE has requested access to various municipalities’ financial records to assess the increases. In a letter to the mayor of Pensacola, for example, the governor’s office noted the city’s property taxes had surged by over 70 percent, signaling its intent to launch an investigation. Mayor D.C. Reeves defended the increases in light of public safety expenditures, which have made Pensacola the fourth-safest city in the nation, and pledged his full cooperation in the audit. “Like your administration, it is a core priority of my administration—working in concert with our City Council—to ensure that the taxpayers’ money is used responsibly, ethically, and efficiently for the benefit of our citizens,” he said. “We welcome the opportunity to support your efforts and will enthusiastically provide full transparency in responding to your requests.” Additionally, Florida’s DOGE has targeted Broward, Hillsborough, Pinellas, Orange, and Palm Beach counties and the cities of Gainesville, Jacksonville, and St. Petersburg for audits. DeSantis’ push to cut wasteful government spending aligns with several other state-led efforts comparable to President Donald Trump’s federal DOGE initiative. Ultimately, however, it’s up to the states to keep the federal government in check. As a Convention of States (COS) endorser, DeSantis knows this well. “The permanent bureaucracy will never voluntarily give up an ounce of its power,” he said in his official endorsement statement, urging “state legislatures to support the Convention of States Project and pass the resolution today.” The COS resolution enables the states to propose amendments limiting federal spending, power, and terms of office at an Article V convention. To join with DeSantis and other leading figures in support of calling a convention to permanently rein in the federal government, sign the COS petition below. # | PETITION_WIDGET{petition_tag:comms_blog_NA_08/19/2025_floridadogespurslocalaudits08192025;coalition_id:;anedot_url:} | # |
| Page Metadata | |
| Login Required to view? | No |
| Created: | 2025-08-18 22:54 GMT |
| Updated: | 2025-08-26 07:00 GMT |
| Published: | 2025-08-19 15:00 GMT |
| Converted: | 2025-11-11 12:06 GMT |
| Change Author: | Jakob Fay |
| Credit Author: | |
public/cb_mirror/florida_doge_spurs_local_audits_txt_blogposts_30843.txt · Last modified: 2025/11/11 12:06 by 127.0.0.1