Gov. Ron DeSantis and newly sworn-in Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia announced Tuesday that Broward County will be among the first local governments audited by the “Florida DOGE” taskforce.
Ingoglia, who was introduced by DeSantis as his “Warrior CFO”, was sworn in Monday and, in short order, sent a letter to Broward County Mayor Beam Furr. The letter informed Furr that Florida DOGE will be on-site auditing the county’s budget on July 31 and Aug 1.
DeSantis and Ingoglia were in Fort Lauderdale to announce their plan, and Ingoglia criticized spending by the Broward’s government spending. According to county budget documents, the fiscal year 2025 budget for Broward is $7.8 billion.
“ Local governments usually have the most egregious patterns of spending money on stuff that, quite frankly, if the voters knew and we shone a light on it," he said. "Broward County, unfortunately, is probably, in my mind, one of the worst offenders when it comes to spending.”
"They would probably disagree.” he said.
The state models its DOGE plan after the federal Department of Government Efficiency led by Elon Musk, who has stepped down from the role.
Broward County has long been a target of Desantis’s ire. In April, the governor questioned what he called the county’s “massive” budget increases.
“You’ve had counties that have had virtually no population increase on net — like Broward — have had a massive increase in their budget. And the question is why? What are they doing with that money?” he said at the time.
The County’s millage rate has remained flat for the past six years, but Ingoglia contends that results in a tax increase for residents, stating that as property values rise, millage rate should decrease.
“ One of the metrics we should use when it comes to spending is, what was your budget before? If you add inflation and population growth, what should it be?… They're not adding that much more people…The amount of money that is being asked of the taxpayers in Broward on behalf of their local government is far outstripping, in my opinion, the residents and the taxpayer's willingness and ability to pay,” he said.
Broward County claims their budget increase is “nearly identical” to increases in inflation and population.
READ MORE: Floridians are not exactly down with DOGE. They are slightly more open to a state equivalent
DeSantis has also claimed that Broward’s budget has increased by 82% over the past five years. County officials disagree.
“While it is not clear how the 82% figure was derived, it is important to note that traditional general government services have increased by a more modest 39% (approximately 7.8% per year) over the last five years,” Greg Meyer, a spokesperson for the county told WPLG in March.
Desantis also indicated that the Broward Sheriff’s Office would also face scrutiny. BSO commands 55.7% of the County’s budget, and the department has faced numerous controversies over spending in recent years.
Last year, BSO’s newly unveiled training facility was found in an audit to have exceeded original construction estimates by more than double.
DeSantis and Ingoglia also highlighted Alachua County and other historically democratic areas of the state as potential targets for Florida DOGE, which includes other South Florida counties.
“ I think it's very possible that you see an announcement on Miami-Dade within the next couple weeks," said DeSantis, who also indicated Palm Beach was on the radar of state officials.
