Jacksonville City Council members are pushing back as Governor Ron DeSantis’ DOGE team prepares to investigate their spending habits.
But one city councilman revealed the real reason some officials are trying to block it.
And Ron DeSantis just blindsided Jacksonville officials with this nasty audit surprise.
DeSantis’ DOGE task force targets bloated city spending
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been making waves across the Sunshine State as it roots out wasteful government spending.
Now the efficiency watchdogs have their sights set on Jacksonville, and not everyone is happy about it.
The Jacksonville City Council Rules Committee recently voted 5-2 to approve resolution 2025-259, which would invite DeSantis’ budget audit team to conduct a thorough examination of Duval County’s finances.
City Councilman Terrance Freeman, who sponsored the resolution, described it as a request for a “voluntary financial audit” that would bring much-needed scrutiny to how taxpayer dollars are being spent.
But several council members threw a fit at the very idea of DeSantis’ team examining their books.
Council members resist outside oversight
Councilman Matt Carlucci didn’t mince words about his opposition to the audit.
“I don’t support it unless you can convince me otherwise,” Carlucci complained during the meeting. “There are no better auditors anywhere than our City Council auditors. Too many cooks spoil the broth.”
Carlucci’s real concern became clear when he admitted that “my concern is with home rule continuing to slip away. I’m tired of seeing our local control slip away. They keep getting into our business.”
His statements suggest a preference for keeping financial review strictly in-house.
Councilman Michael Boylan initially shared similar concerns, worrying about the “emotional impact” on staffers and questioning why the state should “come swooping in” to examine the work of Council auditors.
But unlike Carlucci, Boylan eventually voted in favor of the resolution, recognizing the value of additional oversight.
Perhaps most telling was Councilman Rahman Johnson’s reaction.Â
Johnson claimed the City Council was already acting as the city’s “DOGE task force” and suggested that the statewide efficiency probe “is what inefficiency really looks like.”
Why some officials oppose DeSantis’ audit team
Freeman suggested the real motivation behind the opposition when he stated that those against his resolution were worried about “optics.”
According to the source material, DeSantis’ DOGE team will likely conduct a more rigorous probe than the city’s internal auditors, examining spending increases in recent general fund budgets and whether they align with the politically conservative governance prioritized by the Governor.
This is likely what has some council members concerned about the audit.Â
DeSantis’ team will be conducting a thorough examination of city spending practices.
The DOGE initiative aligns with President Donald Trump’s approach to government efficiency.Â
According to official White House documents, Trump established the federal Department of Government Efficiency to “bring accountability and transparency to federal spending, ensuring taxpayer dollars are spent wisely and effectively.”
With similar efficiency initiatives happening at both federal and state levels, government spending at all levels is receiving increased scrutiny.
According to reports, the Finance Committee will make the final decision on the resolution Tuesday morning.
