Florida's taxpayers have been getting robbed blind.
Trump's DOGE movement inspired watchdogs across the country to start digging into government waste.
And Palm Beach County just got caught red-handed with $344 million in wasteful spending.
Florida's CFO Exposes Record-Breaking Government Waste
Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia held a press conference Thursday in West Palm Beach to drop a bomb on Palm Beach County government.
The audit numbers were staggering.
Palm Beach County wasted $344 million in taxpayer dollars in fiscal year 2024-25 alone.¹
"That is the biggest number in the state of Florida that we have seen so far this year," Ingoglia announced.²
https://twitter.com/GovGoneWild/status/1996656461594914899?s=20
Palm Beach County dethroned Miami-Dade as Florida's worst offender, outspending them by more than $40 million.³
The numbers tell an ugly story about big government run amok.
Since fiscal year 2019-2020, Palm Beach County's budget exploded by $878 million — a 58% increase.⁴
The county added 88,162 residents during that same period.⁵
But here's where it gets outrageous: the budget increased by $9,966 for every single new resident.⁶
That means a family of four is paying nearly $40,000 more to fund this bloated bureaucracy.⁷
"Palm Beach County needs to do better. The taxpayers deserve better," Ingoglia said.⁸
He's been touring Florida as part of his Florida Agency for Fiscal Oversight initiative — what he calls the "wasteful spending exposing tour."⁹
So far, Ingoglia has uncovered $1.9 billion in excessive spending across just 11 local governments.¹⁰
"These numbers keep surprising me, and it is astonishing to see big government bureaucrats take advantage of their residents' tax dollars," Ingoglia stated.¹¹
County Bureaucrats Try To Defend The Indefensible
Palm Beach County officials scrambled to defend their spending after getting exposed.
A county spokesperson released a statement claiming they lowered the millage rate twice in four years, returning $284.8 million in tax relief.¹²
But that doesn't explain why the budget keeps growing like a tumor.
The county blamed the Sheriff's Office, saying more than $420 million of the increase went to fund law enforcement.¹³
That's convenient — hide behind cops and firefighters whenever someone questions your spending.
County Administrator Joseph Abruzzo also pointed to "new cost-saving efficiencies" like partnering with OpenGov and implementing "merit-based compensation."¹⁴
Translation: more consultant fees and more excuses.
The county attacked Ingoglia's methodology, arguing he used fiscal year 2019-2020 as a baseline — the year before the pandemic.¹⁵
"Using that year as a fixed benchmark does not reflect the actual costs of providing public safety, infrastructure, and essential services in one of the fastest-growing counties in the state," the statement read.¹⁶
That's the oldest trick in the government playbook.
Blame COVID for every spending increase, ignore inflation adjustments Ingoglia already factored in, and claim you can't cut anything without hurting "essential services."
Ingoglia saw right through it.
"Local government, politicians, and bureaucrats need to stop listening to the people inside the halls of government and start listening to the people on the grocery lines, because that's where people are complaining," he fired back.¹⁷
https://twitter.com/GovGoneWild/status/1996696366790193313?s=20
Trump's DOGE Movement Spreads To Florida
Ingoglia's audit crusade mirrors President Trump's Department of Government Efficiency initiative that Elon Musk pioneered at the federal level.
Governor Ron DeSantis launched Florida's version earlier this year to root out waste, fraud, and abuse in local governments.¹⁸
The timing couldn't be better for taxpayers drowning in rising property taxes.
Ingoglia said Palm Beach County could reduce its millage rate by 0.55 without touching essential services.¹⁹
That would save homeowners serious money.
A home with a taxable value of $600,000 could save $331 per year.²⁰
A $700,000 home could save $386 annually.²¹
A $800,000 home could save $441 every year.²²
Those aren't small numbers for families struggling with inflation and skyrocketing costs of living.
Ingoglia wants the Florida Legislature to put a property tax reform amendment on the 2026 ballot.²³
"There is only one way you are going to be able to stop local governments from spending your money and wasting it, and that is a constitutional amendment," Ingoglia argued.²⁴
He's right.
Local governments won't fix themselves.
Ingoglia warned that local governments will fight any cuts tooth and nail, insisting they need every dollar when taxpayers could receive real relief without affecting services.
Palm Beach County Mayor Sara Baxter attended Ingoglia's press conference and agreed with his findings.
"I think we can do better," she admitted.²⁵
At least one local official has the guts to admit the truth.
Palm Beach County just became the poster child for everything wrong with big government spending.
Bureaucrats keep finding new ways to waste taxpayer dollars while families struggle to make ends meet.
That's why Trump's DOGE movement is spreading across the country — Americans are fed up with being robbed blind by their own governments.
¹ Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, Press Release, Florida Department of Financial Services, December 4, 2025.
² Anita Padilla, "Ingoglia says Palm Beach County leads state in wasteful spending at $344 million," Florida News, December 4, 2025.
³ Ibid.
⁴ Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, Press Release, Florida Department of Financial Services, December 4, 2025.
⁵ Ibid.
⁶ Ibid.
⁷ Ibid.
⁸ Anita Padilla, "Ingoglia says Palm Beach County leads state in wasteful spending at $344 million," Florida News, December 4, 2025.
⁹ Abigail Hasebroock, "Florida DOGE claims $344M in overspending by Palm Beach County government," South Florida Sun Sentinel, December 4, 2025.
¹⁰ Gershon Harrell, "Palm Beach County tops wasteful spending list with $344M, surpassing Miami-Dade by $40M," CBS12, December 4, 2025.
¹¹ Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, Press Release, Florida Department of Financial Services, December 4, 2025.
¹² John Iz, "Florida CFO says Palm Beach County overspending by $344 million," WPBF, December 5, 2025.
¹³ – ¹⁶ Ibid.
¹⁷ John Iz, "Florida CFO says Palm Beach County overspending by $344 million," WPBF, December 5, 2025.
¹⁸ Drew Dixon, "Blaise Ingoglia rips Palm Beach County spending in latest round of scrutinizing municipal budgets," Florida Politics, December 4, 2025.
¹⁹ Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, Press Release, Florida Department of Financial Services, December 4, 2025.
²⁰ Ibid.
²¹ Ibid.
²² Ibid.
²³ Anita Padilla, "Ingoglia says Palm Beach County leads state in wasteful spending at $344 million," Florida News, December 4, 2025.
²⁴ Ibid.
²⁵ Abigail Hasebroock, "Florida DOGE claims $344M in overspending by Palm Beach County government," South Florida Sun Sentinel, December 4, 2025.
