Below is an official statement from Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia regarding approximately $190 million in Orange County’s budget that could be categorized as “Excessive, Wasteful Spending.”
ORLANDO, Fla. – Today, Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia called out Orange County’s excessive and wasteful spending of their General Fund Budget. When accounting for population growth and inflation, Orange County’s current General Fund Budget is $190 million higher than it should be. CFO Ingoglia is calling upon Orange County to cut this waste out of their budget and offer property tax relief to residents NOW.
Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia said, “This money belongs in the hands of taxpayers, not the bureaucrats who have proven to be fiscally irresponsible. Orange County is wastefully and excessively spending nearly $200 million in taxpayer funds, and it is high time that the taxpayers are armed with the information that they need to hold their locally elected officials accountable. The people of Florida are sick and tired of the wasteful spending of tax dollars.”
Florida Tax Watch Executive Vice-President and General Counsel Jeff Kottkamp said, “Safeguarding taxpayer dollars should be a top concern for local governments. Government accountability is integral to the mission of Florida TaxWatch and we are proud to work with CFO Ingoglia and his office to highlight wasteful government spending, which leads to higher taxes for Floridians.”
Nathan Ducote, Partner and Chief Strategic Officer, MassiveMAKE said, “Central Florida has everything it needs to lead the nation in advanced manufacturing and 3d printing. At MassiveMAKE, efficiency is at the heart of everything we do. We’re proving how large-format 3D printing can deliver greater efficiency, and we’re grateful to CFO Ingoglia for bringing that same focus on efficiency to government—creating a transparent and affordable environment where businesses can thrive and top talent wants to stay. With the combination of incredible opportunity, innovative citizens, and sensible government, there’s no limit to what we can build together.”
Jerry Pierce, Founder and Owner of Restaurant Equipment World said, “As an Orange County resident, the burden of property taxes has grown exponentially, not only for me but also for my employees. I am grateful to CFO Ingoglia for his commitment to keeping Florida affordable for families and cutting government waste.”
Orange County’s General Fund Budget has increased by $559,151,494 since 2020, a 53.62 percent increase. At the same time, the population of Orange County has only increased by 79,000 residents. This means that for each new resident who moved to Orange County, the General Fund Budget increased by $7.074, and for a family of four, it increased by $28,296.
Orange County has also hired 661 new employees since 2020 and the average wage for a local government worker has increased 24.5 percent over the last 4 years, not including benefits, which outpaces both the private sector and state government workers in the area. On average, Orange County is overtaxing their residents by $148 per person and could reduce their millage rate by 0.86 mils without impacting services provided to residents.
CFO Ingoglia plans to continue to expose wasteful and excessive spending across the state as a key part of his role as the Chief Financial Officer of Florida.
