Florida's government accountability movement picked up serious momentum.
Local politicians facing the heat aren't enjoying the spotlight.
And Florida's CFO exposed one number that left Miami bureaucrats scrambling for cover.
Miami-Dade's budget explosion under scrutiny
Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia made Miami-Dade County his latest stop on a statewide Government Accountability Tour that's putting local government spending under the microscope.
The numbers Ingoglia revealed Thursday painted a damning picture of runaway spending.
Miami-Dade's budget exploded 50% since 2019, jumping from $1.68 billion to $2.52 billion in just six years.¹
That growth far outpaced both inflation and population increases during the same period.
The county added 65,500 new residents but hired 2,843 new employees.²
Only 478 of those new hires were police officers and firefighters, meaning the vast majority went to administrative positions.³
"They need to listen more to the people on Main Street than the bureaucrats walking up and down the halls of city government," Ingoglia told reporters at the press conference.³
Ingoglia's audit identified $302 million in overspending in Miami-Dade alone.⁴
Before Miami-Dade's announcement, Ingoglia had already uncovered $1.2 billion in wasteful spending across eight other local governments, pushing the statewide total past $1.5 billion.⁵
Florida DOGE uncovering waste across the state
Governor Ron DeSantis created Florida's Department of Government Efficiency earlier this year through executive order.⁶
The initiative mirrors President Trump's federal DOGE operation led by Elon Musk.
Ingoglia, appointed CFO by DeSantis in July after Jimmy Patronis left to serve in Congress, has spearheaded the Florida DOGE audits.⁷
"We have exposed nearly $1 billion in wasted taxpayer dollars across just five local governments," Ingoglia stated in his first 100 days.⁸
The audit findings revealed shocking examples of frivolous spending.
Jacksonville paid $75,000 for a hologram of Mayor Donna Deegan at the airport and dropped $7.5 million on a one-mile sidewalk project.⁹
Pensacola spent $150,000 annually on a management company bringing drag shows to city theaters.¹⁰
Gainesville pays its Director of Equity and Inclusion $189,000 per year.¹¹
These examples represent just the tip of the iceberg in wasteful local government spending.
Orange County officials allegedly tried hiding information from auditors, prompting Ingoglia to issue subpoenas to county employees.¹²
The property tax connection driving reform
The massive spending increases directly drive property tax burdens crushing Florida homeowners.
Property taxes in Florida jumped 9.5% annually since 2019 while home prices climbed 14.6% per year.¹³
Miami-Dade property owners faced some of the highest bills in the state, paying up to $8,400 in 2024 compared to just $2,600 in counties like Pasco.¹⁴
That $5,800 annual difference for homes of equal value shows how local government spending decisions impact taxpayers.
"Government should only grow at the rate of inflation and population," Ingoglia explained during his recent radio interview.¹⁵
"Instead, we're seeing cities take in windfalls and spend them instead of returning the savings to taxpayers."¹⁶
Local governments received massive property value increases but used the revenue windfall to expand bureaucracies rather than reduce tax rates.
Miami-Dade's $934 million budget increase in fiscal year 2024-25 came alongside an 8% spending hike while officials claimed property tax rates stayed "flat."¹⁷
The reality is homeowners paid significantly more due to rising property values.
Ingoglia's accountability tour applies pressure that's already forcing local officials to reconsider spending habits.
"Local governments know that we're actually watching," Ingoglia noted.¹⁸
"We're seeing that local governments are actually starting at least to have the conversation about restraining some of that government spending."¹⁹
The political stakes behind accountability audits
DeSantis and Ingoglia are setting up a November 2026 ballot measure on property tax reform.²⁰
The governor previously proposed eliminating property taxes entirely, though the specific constitutional amendment language remains under development.
Democrats and some local officials pushed back against the audits, claiming political motivation.
But Ingoglia's team targeted both Republican and Democrat-controlled jurisdictions across Florida.
The CFO's office compared pre-pandemic 2019 budgets adjusted for inflation and population growth against current spending.²¹
That methodology provides objective baselines showing where local governments exceeded reasonable growth.
Pinellas County officials disputed some of Florida DOGE's initial calculations, claiming the state overcalculated property tax revenues by $76 million.²²
Those disputes will get resolved as Ingoglia's office completes formal audit reports roughly 60 days after finishing each jurisdiction's review.²³
The accountability tour represents more than political theater.
Ingoglia plans issuing two audit reports weekly once the backlog clears from the initial wave of reviews.²⁴
Florida voters approved $1.9 billion in local tax increases during 2024 elections while simultaneously facing skyrocketing property assessments.²⁵
That contradiction shows taxpayers want services but also demand accountability for how governments spend their money.
The Florida DOGE initiative provides transparency that didn't exist before.
Property owners now see exactly how much their local governments overspend compared to reasonable benchmarks.
Armed with that information, voters can pressure officials to cut waste or replace them with fiscally responsible leadership.
Ingoglia's next stops on the Government Accountability Tour will reveal additional cases of local overspending.
The CFO promised to continue advocating for transparency and fiscal restraint statewide.
For Miami-Dade officials watching their $302 million overspending exposed publicly, the message is clear.
The days of unchecked spending increases are over.
¹ Anita Padilla, "Florida CFO slams 'runaway spending' in Miami-Dade, calls for property tax reform," Florida's Voice, October 30, 2025.
² – ⁵ Ibid.
⁶ "Governor Ron DeSantis and CFO Blaise Ingoglia Announce Subpoena of Orange County Employees Linked to Obstructing State DOGE Audit," Executive Office of the Governor, August 28, 2025.
⁷ "Florida CFO Blaise Ingoglia calls out Alachua County for 'excessive' spending," WCJB, September 25, 2025.
⁸ "Ingoglia Highlights Achievements in First 100 Days as CFO," The Floridian, October 29, 2025.
⁹ "Governor Ron DeSantis and CFO Blaise Ingoglia Highlight Excessive Local Government Spending Uncovered by Florida DOGE Audits," Executive Office of the Governor, October 2025.
¹⁰ Ibid.
¹¹ Ibid.
¹² "CFO Blaise Ingoglia issuing subpoenas to Orange County employees after initial DOGE audit," Florida Phoenix, August 28, 2025.
¹³ "Property tax balloon causing sticker shock for homeowners," Cotality, 2024.
¹⁴ "Florida Property Tax Rates 2025 & 2026 by County + Calculator," reAlpha Tech Corp., October 29, 2025.
¹⁵ Frank Kopylov, "Ingoglia highlights $1.2 billion in wasteful spending on Florida accountability tour," Florida's Voice, October 30, 2025.
¹⁶ Ibid.
¹⁷ "Miami-Dade raises taxes, garbage fees in proposed 2024-25 $12.7 billion budget," Political Cortadito, July 27, 2024.
¹⁸ Kopylov, Florida's Voice.
¹⁹ Ibid.
²⁰ "CFO Ingoglia says Florida's DOGE is 'not going away'," WUSF, August 13, 2025.
²¹ "Florida CFO Blaise Ingoglia calls out Alachua County for 'excessive' spending," WCJB.
²² "Florida's CFO says wasteful spending will be 'undeniable' once DOGE audit findings are released," WUSF, August 25, 2025.
²³ Ibid.
²⁴ Ibid.
²⁵ "Florida Voters Approve $1.9 Billion in Local Tax Increases and Almost $1 Billion in Local Bond Issues," Florida TaxWatch, December 9, 2024.
