Florida spent years as the fraud capital of America.
Now the state's top financial cop just closed out July with 45 arrests.
Here's what Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia found – and why every Floridian is paying for it every single month.
45 Arrested. Three Bureaus. One Month.
Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia released the July numbers Monday, and they cover three separate fraud operations running simultaneously across the state.
The Bureau of Insurance Fraud led the count with 22 arrests tied to an estimated $1.3 million in losses.
The single biggest case involved Juan Carlos Roque Hernandez and Alma Torres Levia – two fraudsters running a workers' compensation scheme that stole $408,416 from legitimate businesses.
The Bureau of Public Assistance Fraud arrested seven individuals who illegally obtained approximately $190,183 in benefits they had no right to collect.
Takila Mckenzie topped that list – investigators say she pocketed $41,351 by concealing her income and submitting false statements to the state.
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The Bureau of Fire, Arson, and Explosives assisted in 16 additional arrests representing $113,669 in potential losses.
Beyond the arrests, Ingoglia's office presented 10 more public assistance fraud cases totaling $205,059 for criminal prosecution.
Another 27 cases totaling $108,737 were referred for administrative action – those individuals now face losing their SNAP benefits for one year, two years, or permanently, based on their prior violations.
"There is no safe place in Florida for criminals to hide," Ingoglia said.
This Is Not a New Problem. This Is Finally Someone Fixing It.
Florida didn't just stumble into a fraud crisis.
For decades, the state led the nation in insurance fraud prosecutions – not because Florida had great investigators, but because the fraud was everywhere.
At the peak, Florida accounted for 79% of all homeowners insurance lawsuits filed across the entire United States.
That number has since dropped to 41% following legislative reforms in 2022 and 2023 – a real improvement – but the damage to Florida homeowners was already done.
The average Florida homeowner is currently paying between $3,800 and $8,000 a year for insurance, depending on location.
Insurance fraud nationwide costs consumers an estimated $400 to $700 per household annually – and Florida has long been the epicenter.
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That price tag lives in your renewal notice every single year.
Since taking office just over a year ago, Ingoglia's Criminal Investigations Division has made 1,219 arrests totaling $38 million in restitution, including 634 insurance fraud arrests alone.
In 2021, the DFS received more than 1,700 tips on suspected insurance fraud and produced 14 convictions.
Fourteen.
While fraudsters drained Florida families dry, the office that was supposed to stop them was barely showing up.
Ingoglia showed up.
That's not a modest improvement – that's a complete transformation of what the office is for.
Every Dollar They Steal Comes Out of Your Renewal Notice
The workers' compensation scheme at the top of July's arrest list isn't abstract.
When a contractor rigs workers' comp coverage – the way Roque Hernandez and Torres Levia are accused of doing – legitimate businesses competing for the same jobs get undercut.
The honest contractor who pays full insurance rates loses bids to fraudsters who aren't paying.
The insurance company gets hit with false claims, raises rates to cover the losses, and every policyholder in the state pays more.
https://twitter.com/GovGoneWild/status/2082241744771408195?s=20
The public assistance fraud cases hit differently but just as hard.
When fraudsters drain those funds, Democrats in Tallahassee use the shortage as an excuse to demand more taxpayer money – then call anyone who objects heartless.
The people getting hurt aren't abstractions – they're the widow on a fixed income whose SNAP benefits got cut because the system is hemorrhaging cash to people like Takila Mckenzie.
"If you are stealing from Floridians, you will end up in handcuffs and behind bars," Ingoglia said.
That used to be something Florida CFOs said.
Now it's something Ingoglia's office actually does.
Sources:
- Florida Department of Financial Services, "Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia Highlights 45 Arrests in July Amid Ongoing Efforts to Combat Fraud," myfloridacfo.com, August 18, 2026.
- Florida Department of Financial Services, "Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia Highlights 1 Year of Fighting Fraud and Supporting Law Enforcement," myfloridacfo.com, July 28, 2026.
- Insurance Information Institute, "Florida Insurance Costs Are Now 14.5% Lower Than They Would Have Been Without Tort Reforms," Insurance Journal, March 9, 2026.
- Hesper AI, "Insurance Fraud Statistics 2026: The $308 Billion Problem," gethesperai.com, April 26, 2026.
- MyNews13, "Florida Insurance Regulators Say Home Insurance Premiums Are Falling," mynews13.com, July 30, 2026.
