Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia is criticizing Orange County’s 2025-2026 budget, saying his office has identified more than $300 million in what he described as “excessive, wasteful spending.”
Ingoglia said the findings are part of his broader effort to scrutinize local government spending and push for property tax relief across Florida. According to the CFO’s office, Orange County’s General Fund budget has increased by 66.06 percent since 2019. Last year, Ingoglia’s office said it identified nearly $200 million in excessive spending in the county’s 2024-2025 budget.
“Last September, my office revealed that Orange County’s local government officials were irresponsibly spending taxpayer dollars,” Ingoglia said. “Not only did they not heed our warning, but they doubled down on excessive spending. The taxpayers are suffering the consequences of their wasteful spending problem. The time for property tax reform is now.”
The Florida Agency of Fiscal Oversight said Orange County has spent $747.5 million excessively over the past six years. The agency also pointed to the growth of the county’s General Fund budget since 2020, saying it has increased by $688.8 million during a period when the county’s population grew by 131,538 people.
According to the CFO’s office, that means Orange County’s budget increased by $20,945 for every family of four that moved into the county.
Ingoglia’s office said Orange County could reduce its millage rate by 1.22 mills without disrupting essential services. If that reduction were adopted, the CFO’s office estimates that a homeowner with a taxable home value of $300,000 would save $365 per year, while a homeowner with a taxable value of $400,000 would save $486 per year. A homeowner with a taxable value of $500,000 would save $608 per year.
Greg Ungru of Americans for Prosperity praised Ingoglia’s review of the county budget and said taxpayers deserve more transparency.
“CFO Ingoglia continues to keep his foot on the gas when it comes to identifying wasteful spending within local governments,” Ungru said. “The taxpayers deserve transparency, especially as Orange County has continued to throw away money over the last six years. We will continue to stand alongside the CFO as he remains committed to property tax relief for Floridians.”
Ingoglia’s office said the CFO has identified more than $2.4 billion in excessive and wasteful spending statewide and plans to continue reviewing local government budgets as part of his role as Florida’s chief financial officer.
