DOGE, known as the Department of Government Efficiency, really didn’t go far under the Trump White House. But in Florida, it’s been making progress during the DeSantis administrations.
A new report by Nicole Huyer and Christopher Lynch at the Heritage Foundation lays out the success Florida DOGE is having.
During the tenure of Governor Ron DeSantis, “the state has paid down over one-third of its debt, filled its rainy-day fund, and saved taxpayer dollars through prudent measures such as restricting environmental, social, and governance investments with public funds. Most recently, he vetoed $1.6 billion from Florida’s fiscal year 2026-27 state budget,” noted the authors.
According to the report, Eric Soskin, who worked as an inspector general at the U.S. Department of Transportation inspector general, was brought in to run Florida-DOGE.
Soskin used AI to uncover $878 million in unused federal dollars found in state agencies, universities, and municipal governments.
In January of this year, 2026, the Florida DOGE team laid out documents showing wasteful spending items in several cities and counties.
Here’s a small list.
Miami-Dade County spent $9 million on “art allowance” for a detention center and a $125 million climate-related shore power energy program for cruise ships.
In Jacksonville, $54 million was spent more on bike lanes and sidewalks than on fire and rescue.
The city of St. Petersburg hired a a chief equity officer and LGBTQ+ coordinator, making $219,000 and $87,000, respectively. The city funded a LGBT Pride event $100,000.
In Lee County, the public school district saved $26.5 million in administrative cuts after school Superintendent Denise Carlin partnered with the Florida DOGE. Now $5-$10 million in additional savings is expected to take place in the next school year.
