Ron DeSantis positive is aware of the best way to put the “bully” in bully pulpit.
The politician with the largest platform in Florida is now utilizing it to reveal extreme native authorities spending.
Armed with new political weaponry, he can bully cities and counties into cooperating along with his state-level DOGE operation, utilizing the membership of $1,000-a-day fines that may’t be appealed.
This campaign begins in Broward County and the town of Gainesville, irresistible targets with liberal political leaders and voters who soundly rejected DeSantis twice. The mission is badly tainted as a result of it seems nakedly partisan.
When DeSantis got here to Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday with newly appointed Chief Monetary Officer Blaise Ingoglia, they each already sounded satisfied that Broward is losing cash, even earlier than any analysis. On spending, Ingoglia known as Broward “one of many worst offenders.” That’s the type of unsupported nonsense Floridians ought to reject, with out strong proof to again it up.
As County Commissioner Steve Geller mentioned: “They reached their conclusions earlier than they did the audit.” That warning ought to spark concern amongst different cities and counties in Florida — significantly massive counties managed by Democrats. That places Orange County, and its $7.2 billion finances, within the crosshairs of DeSantis’ politically motivated campaign.
What it’s actually about
Make no mistake: Native governments must be held accountable for spending public cash. Prime county officers agree with that. Waste may be present in any enterprise that spends billions of {dollars} a 12 months.
However the Ron DeSantis Anti-Tax Propaganda Tour seems to be a part of a broader Republican marketing campaign to eradicate or sharply scale back property taxes — with the clear objective of constructing native governments subservient to the state.
Essentially the most radical overhaul of the tax code in our state’s historical past would require voter approval in November 2026, and that begins by portraying native governments as cartoonishly boastful, bloated and unaccountable.
The issue, in our opinion, is that the entire notion of DeSantis as a fiscal watchdog is a joke.
Over the previous 5 years, all on his watch, the state finances has ballooned from $92 billion to $117 billion, a 27% enhance, a time when state demographers estimate Florida’s inhabitants has grown by 7%. And far of that cash has been squandered on purely political stunts.
Waste? DeSantis handed out lavish no-bid contracts at “Alligator Alcatraz.” He can go rogue with the state’s checkbook as a result of the Legislature offers so little fiscal supervision.
Fraud? Prosecutors are investigating the suspicious diversion of $10 million from a Medicaid authorized settlement for political advertisements by means of Hope Florida, a pet charity of DeSantis and his spouse, Casey.
Inefficiency? Some full-time state staff incomes $200,000-plus a 12 months can stay out of state (DeSantis lately vetoed a invoice that may power them to stay right here). No one who works full-time for Broward County lives in West Virginia.
Observe the tax cash
Any thorough assessment of how Broward spends property taxes would instantly result in one place: the Broward Sheriff’s Workplace, the place Dr. Gregory Tony spends greater than half of all property taxes collected by the county.
That’s commonplace: In nearly each metropolis and county in Florida, public security is a number one recipient of property taxes (together with public colleges).
As this newspaper has documented, the self-promoting sheriff has been a profligate spender on every thing from $80,000 luxurious Yukon Denali SUVs to customized bathe curtains at a BSO health complicated.
We haven’t heard DeSantis query that. One purpose — only a hunch — could possibly be that DeSantis appointed Tony sheriff.
County commissioners are more and more skeptical of Tony’s grandiose spending requests, as they need to be. He needed 14% extra money for subsequent 12 months and so they tentatively supplied him 3%.
Any politician searching for to abolish property taxes ought to count on to be accused of that outdated GOP smear of “defunding the police,” as a result of with out property taxes, will probably be very tough to maintain sheriff’s deputies on the streets of Broward.
Guarantees of cooperation
Thus far, Broward County’s response to DeSantis has been skilled. Native governments throughout Florida ought to begin gathering the identical sorts of knowledge.
County Administrator Monica Cepero cited the county’s robust AAA bond score (one thing Orange County may also boast) and ample money reserves of 15.1% with no normal obligation bond debt and a flat property tax charge for the previous decade. Orange County’s fiscal image is somewhat completely different, with reserves at 7.1%, however it has the bottom property tax charge amongst counties with greater than 1 million residents as of the 2024-25 finances 12 months.
For 2 days subsequent week, the CFO will ship auditors to Broward, searching for entry to knowledge programs and “responsive personnel.” A letter from the governor’s workplace seeks an unlimited trove of information on every thing from extra time to grants to nonprofits to the price of the county’s “Inexperienced New Deal” resiliency program.
The request runs for seven full pages and offers the county 9 days to reply.
The deal with spending for a local weather change motion plan additionally reveals the bigger political agenda behind this fiscal fishing expedition.
Orange County officers must be watching the occasions in Broward carefully, as ought to the town of Orlando. However officers in Seminole, Lake and Osceola counties shouldn’t assume they’ll be spared by their political leanings. DeSantis has confirmed that he’ll activate anybody seeking political benefit.
If any good comes of this, will probably be a deeper public understanding of why property taxes matter and what they purchase. We encourage fiscal authorities in all native governments to organize for an onslaught designed to discredit. One good instance to comply with: Traditionally crimson Seminole County’s detailed, credible protection of its local-option gross sales tax, which lets residents know precisely how they profit from infrastructure spending throughout the county.
Native leaders throughout Florida ought to give critical thought to a “property tax primer” internet web page, exhibiting taxpayers how each county tax greenback is being spent. Who is aware of? It would even train DeSantis a factor or two about how he spends our cash.
The Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board consists of Government Editor Roger Simmons, Opinion Editor Krys Fluker and Viewpoints Editor Jay Reddick. The Solar Sentinel Editorial Board consists of Government Editor Gretchen Day-Bryant, Editorial Web page Editor Steve Bousquet, Deputy Editorial Web page Editor Dan Sweeney and editorial writers Pat Beall and Martin Dyckman. Ship letters to perception@orlandosentinel.com.
