(The Center Square) – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the launch of state Department of Government Efficiency audits on Tuesday for Broward County and the city of Gainesville that he says are the first in a series of examinations of local governments.
The second-term Republican governor said the Gainesville and Broward County audits will start on July 31, with officials from several state agencies reviewing data systems and personnel and other data with the two local governments.
Among those items in the crosshairs, DeSantis said, are an $800,000 Broward County float in this year’s Parade of Roses in Pasadena, Calif., and “Green New Deal” projects in both areas.
“It’s just a symptom of excessive, reckless spending where they don’t care,” said Florida CFO Blaise Ingoglia, who was sworn in on Monday. “I’m sorry to say this, but a lot of local officials don’t care, because they don’t view it as their own money. The power to tax citizens should not be taken lightly. If you are in office and you are taxing, you should be asking yourself, ‘If this was my own personal money, would I make the same investment?'”
The governor said the audits are part of his campaign to reduce the property tax burden on residents.
“The people who oppose property tax relief will say ‘well, you know, we need schools and fire and police.’ Of course we do,” DeSantis said. “But what about all this other spending that’s not there? We all agree on education, first responders, all that and still be able to provide meaningful property tax relief, but not if the spending isn’t kept in check on these other items.”
DeSantis said 75 cities and counties have cooperated with the state DOGE audits, but his administration is using its power under state law to scrutinize local governments that refused to cooperate.
“If you’re a Floridian, whether its city or county government, taxpayers should be put first,” DeSantis said. “Taxpayers should be respected and that’s what we’re trying to do here.”
The audit letters detail the administration officials’ issues with the local governments. In the letter to Gainesville, the state DOGE says annual property tax burdens have increased by more than $30 million, an increase of 80%. Also, the city’s budget has increased by $90 million per year, more than $600 per resident.
As for Broward County, the state DOGE says property tax burdens have increased annually by $450 million or 45%. The letter also points out that the county’s population has grown less than 5% per year while the county’s budget has ballooned to $1.2 billion per year.
“There is a new era of accountability in the state of Florida when it comes to fiscal spending,” Ingoglia said. “I cut my teeth years ago calling out local wasteful spending, but I’ve seen that local governments usually have the most egregious spending that, quite frankly, if we shone a light on it, they would probably disagree with.”
