Government overreach just hit a new low in the so-called "Free State" of Florida.
Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia sent armed state agents to intimidate a 77-year-old Vietnam veteran who dared criticize him.
And Florida CFO Blaise Ingoglia used armed agents to silence a critic over a three-word postcard that left him looking desperate.
Armed Agents Storm Elderly Couple’s Home Over "You Lack Values" Postcard
James O’Gara discovered that challenging Florida politicians can bring state investigators to your doorstep.
The 77-year-old Vietnam combat veteran mailed a postcard to CFO Blaise Ingoglia in August after Ingoglia announced his crackdown on local government spending.
O’Gara’s message was blunt but perfectly legal: "YOU LACK VALUES."
Weeks later, two state agents wearing protective vests with "POLICE" markings appeared at his door around 9 a.m. while his wife Cathy was getting their 11-year-old granddaughter ready for school.
The officers didn’t explain their visit or identify their agency.
They simply asked if O’Gara had written the postcard, displaying a photo of it on their phone.
https://twitter.com/orlandosentinel/status/1977734940834861459
The agents asked if he had written the postcard, showing him a photo of it on their phone.
"Yeah, I exercised my First Amendment rights," O’Gara told them.
The 69-year-old grandmother was stunned by the visit and too shocked to ask which agency the officers represented.
Their granddaughter stayed inside the house, frightened about what might happen to her grandfather.
The couple later discovered through Largo police that the officers worked for the criminal investigations division within Ingoglia’s Department of Financial Services.
Ingoglia’s Department Wasted Taxpayer Money on Political Intimidation
The irony here is thick enough to cut with a knife.
Ingoglia has been traveling around Florida at taxpayer expense lecturing local governments about "wasteful spending."
His crusade focuses on cities and counties with Democrat majorities, using bogus calculations to manufacture outrage about budget increases.
But when a citizen calls out his lack of values, Ingoglia apparently has no problem wasting state resources to send an armed intimidation squad to silence the criticism.
How much did it cost taxpayers for multiple armed agents to drive to Largo and terrorize an elderly couple over a postcard?
DFS officers make between $63,000 and $111,000 annually according to state databases.
Cathy O’Gara later noticed two dark SUVs positioned on her street during the visit, suggesting additional agents may have been involved in this taxpayer-funded operation.
That’s real government waste – using law enforcement resources to intimidate citizens exercising their constitutional rights.
Ingoglia Claims Ignorance While His Department Acts as Personal Enforcers
When reporters pressed him, Ingoglia denied knowledge of the investigation.
"I had no idea," he told News 6. "I did not see the postcard. I had no idea that they were looking at the postcard and looking into the background."
But nobody’s buying that excuse.
Ingoglia oversees the Department of Financial Services where these investigators are employed.
His communications director Sydney Booker confirmed the department conducted a "threat assessment" but failed to explain what made the three-word message threatening.
Florida’s Sunshine Law Dies
The same Legislature that passes itself off as conservative has added over 1,200 exemptions to Florida’s once-proud Sunshine Law.
Public records that were once easily accessible are now hidden behind layers of bureaucracy and exemptions.
Meanwhile, politicians like Ingoglia use state law enforcement to intimidate anyone who dares call out their behavior.
"All I’m doing is exercising my rights," James O’Gara told reporters. "If I threaten, or it can be inferred that I’m threatening any official, it should be investigated."
But writing "YOU LACK VALUES" on a postcard isn’t a threat – it’s protected political speech.
First Amendment law professor Lyrissa Lidsky at the University of Florida called this exactly what it is: "government using its powers to potentially intimidate a critic."
Bobby Block from Florida’s First Amendment Foundation was even more direct, calling Ingoglia’s actions "an outrageous act of intimidation."
Here’s what should really make conservatives angry: if government can silence critics today by claiming postcards are "threats," what happens tomorrow when they expand that definition?
The O’Garas have started encouraging other Floridians to send identical postcards to Ingoglia’s office.
That takes real courage after watching armed agents show up at their door.
For folks who still believe in limited government and constitutional rights, this story should be a wake-up call.
Florida politicians are using the same tactics they claim to oppose when used against conservatives.
The only difference is they’re the ones wielding the power now.
Real conservatives should be defending the O’Garas, not making excuses for government overreach just because it’s coming from someone with an "R" next to their name.
The First Amendment doesn’t have political parties – and neither should basic human decency.
¹ Kathryn Varn, "Armed Florida agents visited Largo man over postcard critical of CFO Ingoglia," Axios Tampa Bay, October 10, 2025.
² Stephany Matat, "Police visit over ‘You lack values’ postcard sparks First Amendment debate," USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida, October 10, 2025.
³ Courtney Robinson, "State investigators question Largo man about postcard sent to Florida’s chief financial officer," 10 Tampa Bay News, October 9, 2025.
⁴ Mike Valente, "Florida CFO Ingoglia on law enforcement visit to Largo man: ‘I had no idea’," News 6 WKMG, October 11, 2025.
⁵ Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, "CFO Ingoglia says he hates waste – then sends gun-toting officers to ‘investigate’ a postcard," Orlando Sentinel, October 13, 2025.
