PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. – Florida Chief Monetary Officer Blaise Ingoglia introduced Tuesday {that a} state audit has recognized almost $200 million in extreme and wasteful spending within the Broward County authorities’s basic fund price range, intensifying his push for large property tax aid throughout Florida.
The announcement got here throughout an occasion the place Ingoglia accused native governments statewide of working “bloated” budgets and deliberately overspending at a fee far exceeding inflation and inhabitants development.
Ingoglia is touring the state to construct assist for a proposed 2026 constitutional modification that goals to eradicate property taxes on homesteaded properties.
“After they say that they’ll’t reduce [taxes], I say they’re not being truthful to you. In truth, we calculated it,” Ingoglia mentioned.
BREAKING: CFO Blaise Ingoglia (@GovGoneWild) exposes almost $200M in Broward County overspending, fraud and abuse, saying the county might simply slash property taxes to the tune of giving Florida residents lots of of {dollars} per yr pic.twitter.com/L4nIqCJ56u
— Florida’s Voice (@FLVoiceNews) September 30, 2025
Ingoglia, talking on behalf of the Division of Authorities Effectivity, or DOGE initiative, introduced the audit’s high-level findings for Broward County:
- Extreme spending: The final fund price range has elevated by over $617 million, or almost 47%, over the previous 5 years.
- The waste determine: The CFO calculated that roughly $190 million of that whole development is “extreme wasteful spending,” after factoring in cash for inflation, inhabitants development, and wage will increase for first responders.
- Per capita value: Ingoglia claimed that for each new particular person shifting into Broward County during the last 5 years, the county’s price range elevated by virtually $11,000.
- Potential aid: Reducing the recognized $190 million in waste might end in native authorities having the ability to reduce the millage fee by .54 mills, providing a financial savings of roughly $214 per yr for a house assessed at $400,000, with out affecting core companies.
The Broward County evaluation is the fifth launch in a collection of audits of native governments Ingoglia has performed since taking workplace.
“In simply these 4 counties alone, we have now recognized $754 million in wasteful, extreme spending,” Ingoglia mentioned, referring to earlier audits in Jacksonville, Orange, Hillsborough, and Alachua counties.
With Broward County included, DOGE groups have recognized $944 million {dollars} of “wasteful, extreme spending at native governments” all through the 5 counties. Ingoglia predicted the full recognized waste throughout the state would quickly exceed $1 billion.
The CFO asserted that native officers are intentionally inflating budgets and getting ready a “playbook” to withstand cuts by claiming important companies like hearth and police could be affected.
“All of this hysteria from native governments saying that they’ll’t do it, they’ll. The underside line is, they don’t wish to,” the CFO mentioned. “They don’t wish to, and they’re going to attempt to provide the impression that they’ll’t reduce their huge, bloated price range to allow them to maintain their toes from going. And I’m telling you that’s not correct.”
He emphasised that the present investigation is designed to show that large cuts are attainable, clearing the trail for the long-term objective of placing a constitutional modification on the November 2026 poll to eradicate property taxes on major residences.
