Florida CFO looks for ‘spending issues’ in Manatee with DOGE budget audit
Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia visited the Manatee County Administration Building on Tuesday for the start of the state’s audit of Manatee County Government finances.
Ingoglia is working with the state’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to examine local government spending in Manatee County and other local governments. Orange County, Miami-Dade County and the City of St. Petersburg have become the target of similar DOGE audits in recent weeks.
The state DOGE team will be in Manatee County for three to four days, according to Ingoglia, and will take the information back to Tallahassee to have a report ready in about 60 days. The report will be public, Ingoglia said.
Ingoglia spoke at the Manatee County Administration Building in downtown Bradenton on Tuesday, emphasizing the impact of property taxes on residents.
“Property tax relief is number one on people’s minds,” Ingoglia said. “We are getting to the point where some people are getting taxed out of their homes.”
Florida launches Manatee DOGE audit
Ingoglia said the state is seeing similar trends now, after the COVID-19 pandemic, as were seen in the mid-2000s with increasing revenues from property taxes as a result of rising values.
“Government is taking the money and they are expanding the government, they are adding programs, keeping programs, a lot of it post-COVID,” Ingoglia said.
According to Ingoglia, property tax revenues are expanding in Florida counties by 60-120%.
“This is an exercise where we can go in and we can start identifying some of the spending issues that may not be the best use of taxpayer dollars,” Ingoglia said. “People may question that. But at some point, there is going to be property tax relief, whether that is done locally by cities and counties or it’s going to be done constitutionally on the ballot.”
In response to concerns raised about DOGE cutting funds for necessary services — like police and fire departments — Ingoglia said local governments should not worry as long as they practice zero-based budgeting, which prioritizes those services first.
“We’re looking for things that should not be funded by local government,” he said.
When asked what advice he has for other local government officials not yet facing DOGE audits, Ingoglia advised: “Be good stewards of the taxpayer dollar.”
DOGE audit announced last month
Gov. Ron DeSantis flagged property tax discrepancies as a main reason the state chose to audit Manatee County. He pointed to fact that Manatee’s property tax revenue has risen by $213 million since 2019.
In July, DeSantis held a press conference in Bradenton with Ingoglia to announce that the state’s DOGE task force would investigate Manatee County. In a letter sent to Manatee County, the DOGE team identified over 60 requests for information on expenditures, personnel and county programs.
Following the announcement, Manatee County commissioners seemed unconcerned with the audit and confident in the county’s ability to work with the state DOGE, including with the county’s newly-appointed Citizen Liaison Committee on July 29.
“Manatee County Government looks forward to working with the State of Florida and the State DOGE team on their efforts. We are proud of the progress we’ve made here in Manatee County and look forward to identifying ways to improve,” a Manatee County Government statement said.
“We recognize the importance of ensuring taxpayer dollars are spent effectively and are pleased to collaborate with the state by forming a local Citizen Liaison Committee dedicated to identifying potential efficiencies within our operations,” the statement continued.
