Democrat Mayor Donna Deegan thought she could spin her way out of Florida's DOGE audit with the usual excuses.
She was dead wrong.
And Florida's CFO dropped three words that made Jacksonville's Mayor go ballistic.
State Audit Exposes Nearly $200 Million in Wasteful Jacksonville Spending
Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia released his Department of Government Efficiency report on Jacksonville and the findings weren't pretty for Mayor Donna Deegan.
The audit identified $199 million in what the state classifies as wasteful and excessive spending within the city's general fund.
Ingoglia's team documented specific examples that have Jacksonville taxpayers fuming.
The city spent $54 million more on bike lanes and sidewalks than it provided for emergency services in its capital improvement plan.
One sidewalk project cost $7.5 million for a single mile.
The city dropped $66,000 on a hologram device called a Proto Box that featured virtual Mayor Deegan greeting travelers at Jacksonville International Airport.
Republicans mockingly dubbed it "HoloDonna" and blasted it as taxpayer-funded self-promotion.
State officials also flagged more than $500,000 in overtime spending and questioned $1.9 million in grants going to organizations supporting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives.
Democrat Mayor Tries Playing Victim Card After Getting Caught
Deegan fired back in a video shared by News 104.5 WOKV, calling the state investigation a hyper-partisan exercise designed to score political points.
She defended the city's rising personnel costs by arguing the spending increases were driven by investments in public safety.
"When I looked at all these things, it's like, you can look at it in its entirety," Deegan said. "The whole idea of the personnel costs—you look at that and you go, yeah, that's a big increase. Oh, but it's also police and fire."
She questioned state leaders who criticize the city's budget while claiming to support first responders.
"These are the same folks that say they support police and fire, but they want to take a shot at how we're spending our money on police and fire, and that's really it," Deegan added.
The mayor's office tried spinning the HoloDonna removal as coincidental timing.
A city spokesperson claimed the six-month pilot agreement with the Jacksonville Aviation Authority expired on February 1.
"It was always a pilot project for the proto box to be placed at the airport while we tested and debuted the hologram technology," the mayor's office stated.
The spokesperson also said it was unfair to the airport to be subject to constant hyper-partisan attacks.
Ingoglia Destroys Democrat Mayor With Three Brutal Words
Ingoglia wasn't having any of Deegan's spin.
He quickly dismissed the mayor's characterization of the audit with three brutal words.
"Total and complete BS," Ingoglia wrote.
https://twitter.com/FLVoiceNews/status/2019187971258302667?s=20
The CFO maintained that the audit's focus is fiscal accountability rather than party lines.
"How can it be hyper-partisan when we also called out ruby red Nassau Co and Manatee Co for their egregious spending?" Ingoglia explained. "It's not that you don't like the audit… you just don't like the results."
Ingoglia previously mocked the HoloDonna display with parody poetry and created a fake logo for the mayor's office labeled TSA: Taxes Squandered Again.
"Gone too soon (not really…good riddance)," Ingoglia posted on X after the device was removed.
The Jacksonville Young Republicans celebrated the Proto Box's exit from the airport.
"HoloDonna has been removed from @JAXairport," they posted.
"This 'economic development' expenditure was solely for Mayor @DonnaDeegan's self-promotion at the expense of the taxpayer."
https://twitter.com/GovGoneWild/status/2018813852021051690?s=20
Florida DOGE has conducted similar audits across the state since Governor Ron DeSantis created the initiative in February 2025.
Ingoglia claims he's uncovered nearly $1 billion in wasted taxpayer dollars across just five local governments.
The audits are building momentum for a November 2026 constitutional amendment that would provide property tax relief.
Property tax collections in Florida have risen 46 percent over the past four years as home values soared.
DeSantis and Ingoglia argue Democrat-run cities like Jacksonville are using that windfall to expand government bureaucracy instead of providing relief to taxpayers.
The Jacksonville City Council's own independent auditor reviewed the state DOGE report and couldn't conclusively verify all $199 million in alleged wasteful spending without more context.
But Council Auditor Kim Taylor did identify about $90 million that matched the state's claims.
Deegan's administration maintains the budget is lean and focused on essential services.
The mayor's office pointed out that all budgets require final approval from City Council.
That excuse rings hollow since Jacksonville has a strong Republican majority on the council.
Republicans are hoping the Florida DOGE audit makes the first-term Democrat mayor vulnerable heading into her 2027 re-election campaign.
Deegan refused multiple times to meet with Ingoglia during the audit process.
"The CFO never would agree to meet with me. I asked to meet several times. His folks said he didn't have time, but he had time for everybody else on his side of the aisle except for me," Deegan said.
Ingoglia explained there was nothing to discuss with Democrat mayors who refuse to admit they're overtaxing and overspending.
"There's no conversation that I'm going to be able to have with Mayor Deegan or Mayor Demings or Mayor Cava that is going to convince them that they are overtaxing and overspending locally," Ingoglia stated.
https://twitter.com/GovGoneWild/status/2018814400925446451?s=20
Florida DOGE is targeting cities and counties across the state with similar audits.
Of the twelve municipalities currently under review, most are run by Democrats.
Ingoglia's pointing to Republican counties like Nassau also getting flagged undercut accusations that the audits are politically motivated.
The state DOGE initiative mirrors President Donald Trump's federal Department of Government Efficiency.
Florida's version gives state officials authority to review local government finances and recommend reforms.
Local governments that don't comply with audit requests face potential fines of $1,000 per day.
The Florida Legislature will use the audit findings to push for legislation requiring more fiscal restraint at the local level.
Jacksonville taxpayers are watching to see if state pressure forces actual budget cuts or if Deegan and the City Council keep spending their money on vanity projects.
Sources:
- Michelle Vecerina, "'Total and complete BS': CFO Ingoglia slams Mayor Deegan's defense of Jacksonville spending," News 104.5 WOKV, February 4, 2026.
- Michelle Vecerina, "Jacksonville's holographic Mayor Deegan removed from airport following 'DOGE' audit criticism," News 104.5 WOKV, February 4, 2026.
- Riley Phillips, "Florida DOGE report lists examples of Jacksonville 'overspending'," First Coast News, January 29, 2026.
- Trinity Webster-Bass, "Florida DOGE wants to slash millions of dollars in alleged waste across local governments. A new report detailed far less," The Tributary, January 31, 2026.
- Mike Mendenhall, "Florida DOGE report raises questions for City Council," Jacksonville Today, February 3, 2026.
