Florida CFO calls Manatee County’s budget the ‘worst’ he’s seen in tax audit
Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia announced that an audit of Manatee County’s budgets was the “worst” his office has seen in its review of budgets across the state.
Ingoglia held a press conference in Bradenton on Thursday to announce the results of his office’s Florida Agency for Fiscal Oversight (FAFO) audit. According to the audit, the money in Manatee County Government’s general fund is $112 million more than state officials think it should be.
“On a percentage basis, Manatee County is probably the worst that we’ve come across so far in the amount of the percentage over and above inflation and population,” Ingoglia said.
A spokesperson for Manatee County Government declined to comment on the press conference.
Manatee County is one of seven local governments Ingoglia has presented FAFO audits. Other audit targets include Orange County, Hillsborough County, Broward County and the city of Jacksonville.
Ingoglia said the audits have uncovered over $1 billion in “wasteful, excessive spending” in the governments’ last fiscal year budgets.
At the press conference, Ingoglia presented the FAFO audit results, including the result that Manatee County’s budget is $112 million higher than state auditors believe it should be. Those cost savings could have been achieved with a tax rate reduction of 1.09 mills, according to Ingoglia, which could have saved a homeowner $436 on a property worth $400,000.
“They took the extra money, they spent it,” Ingoglia said. “They should be giving it back to you.”
In September, Manatee County commissioners voted to reduce property taxes by 0.05 mills, giving homeowners a small tax cut and reducing the county’s revenue by $3.7 million for the upcoming fiscal year.
Ingoglia said certified public accountants from his office reviewed the last five years of budgets, using 2019-2020 as the baseline.
The accountants adjusted each subsequent budget for inflation and population growth, so the percentage Ingoglia classified as “excessive” is above the inflation and growth they accounted for.
Additionally, Ingoglia said Manatee County’s general fund budget has increased $269 million, or 69%, in the last five years while the population has grown by a little over 60,000.
By those calculations, Ingoglia said the county has been spending $4,300 per person moving into Manatee County.
“That math does not math,” he said. “The argument can be made, and it should be made…when population increases, the cost per person should be going down, not up.”
One example Ingoglia gave of “excessive spending” is that Manatee County has added 472 new full-time employees in the last five years.
When asked if he could provide other specific examples, Ingoglia could not, and clarified the FAFO audit is different from the state’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) audit. According to Ingoglia, the FAFO offers a high-level summary, while the DOGE audit looks more specifically at line item spending.
Audits ‘arming’ citizens with information
Ingoglia emphasized in his presentation that the audits are not targeting specific political parties.
“I also want to highlight that I am here in Manatee County, which is a deep red county,” Ingoglia said. “I have said, and I will continue to say, that wasteful, excessive spending knows no partisan bounds.”
After presenting Manatee County’s FAFO audit results, Ingoglia transitioned into talking about property tax reform, which he said Gov. Ron DeSantis and other state officials support.
“Floridians have made it clear that they want property tax relief. Floridians have made it clear that they are tired of the wasteful, excessive, bloated budgets of local governments,” Ingoglia said.
The reform on the November 2026 ballot would seek to eliminate property taxes altogether on homesteaded properties, according to Ingoglia.
When asked what’s next after the audits, Ingoglia said, “It’s up to the voters.”
“I’m doing this as a way to inform the public what their local governments are doing with their property tax dollars,” he continued. “Regardless of county, regardless of city, all we are doing is arming them with information. Another thing that we are doing is arming them with information in advance of a constitutional amendment that should be on the November 2026 ballot.”
Ingoglia also mentioned state appropriations, saying some local governments request “obnoxious” amounts of money from state legislators.
“I would argue that, if you have a city or a county who has already proven that you are wastefully spending the money that they have…I personally don’t think it’s a good idea that we give them more money,” Ingoglia said.
DOGE audit previously announced in August
DeSantis visited Bradenton in July with Ingoglia and announced the DOGE audit, citing property taxes and growing reserves as some of the reasons behind the audit.
“We’re looking at the expanding budget,” DeSantis said at the conference. “Where’s the increase in spending? Where’s the justification for that? How is that being done, and what’s the basis, or where are the pathways to put taxpayers first and give them a seat at the table?”
DeSantis said the county added $161 million to its reserves over the last six years, bringing the total to $734 million.
“There’s also a point at which we shouldn’t just be bogarting money. We want to give back,” DeSantis said. “The same principle applies to local government. There’s got to be a balance there.”
In a letter sent to Manatee County officials, the DOGE task force outlined more than 60 information requests and scheduled in-person visits for Aug. 4 and 5. Among the requests were information about property acquisition, staffing, traffic alleviation, climate change and diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
Ingoglia visited Manatee County during the in-person visits and, again, emphasized property taxes as a main concern for the DOGE task force.
“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 at a press conference. “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.”
During Ingoglia’s visit in August, he said it would take about 60 days for the DOGE team to conduct the audit and present the results. Ingoglia did not mention the results of the DOGE audit during his press conference on Thursday.
This story was originally published October 17, 2025 at 5:50 AM.
