How Florida DOGE is teeing up DeSantis' push to cut property taxes
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Florida DOGE chief Blaise Ingoglia and Gov. Ron DeSantis at a July news conference announcing an audit of Broward County's spending. Photo: Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
Gov. Ron DeSantis' goal to slash property taxes has one glaring problem: Local governments use that revenue to pay for basic services like police, fire and schools.
- But what if there's reason to believe those governments are misusing those funds?
Why it matters: That's the case that DeSantis and his state Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are putting together to justify a referendum that would cut property taxes statewide.
- DeSantis and Republican lawmakers are working to get such a measure onto the ballot next year.
Case in point: "All of this is laying a predicate to reducing property taxes," DOGE chief Blaise Ingoglia said last month at a news conference.
State of play: Over the summer, Ingoglia began requesting reams of budget information from cities and counties across Florida and dispatching agents to comb through files in person.
- At the time, he shared little insight into how the information would be used. But in recent weeks, he said the agency won't release thorough audits of each government.
- Rather, DOGE staffers are "going to pull some examples" of what they believe to be wasteful spending, Ingoglia said at a Sept. 24 conference in Hillsborough County.
The latest: The agency began releasing those examples last week.
Zoom in: To back his recent finding that Hillsborough misspent a quarter billion dollars, Ingoglia and DeSantis cited two examples: bias training for county employees and employee vehicle allowances, which together total $1.5 million.
- In St. Petersburg, they cited $258,000 in funding for St. Pete Pride and $307,000 on a climate action plan. In Pinellas, it was $75,000 a year toward Pride events.
Reality check: While state officials have alleged widespread fraud, these line items make up a fraction of a percent of each government's total annual budget.
Friction point: Local officials have said the DOGE findings lack context and don't say much about overall spending.
- Hillsborough County Administrator Bonnie Wise said Ingoglia's math didn't account for "significant service deficits" that existed five years ago, which have since been addressed.
- Spokespeople for St. Pete and Pinellas said that their called-out expenditures were paid for with other funds, not property taxes.
- Pride and similar county-supported events "have drawn hundreds of thousands of attendees, tens of thousands of room nights, and tens of millions of direct economic impact to Pinellas County," county spokesperson Dave Connor said.
Between the lines: Ingoglia concedes that "a lot" of what his DOGE team considers waste is "subjective."
- Most of the examples released so far focus on local spending related to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, as well as LGBTQ+ programs.
Neither the governor's office nor Ingoglia responded to Axios' requests for comment.
What they're saying: This is how DeSantis "has governed over the last six years," says Aubrey Jewett, a University of Central Florida political science professor.
- "He announces big policies and then tries to convince the public and the lawmakers that what he's doing should be done."
- "Like any politician, he's putting his own spin on the data," Jewett adds.
The bottom line: "This seems to be his last big swing."