Over the last week, Gov. Ron DeSantis and newly appointed state Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia have been traveling throughout the state promoting the Florida State Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE), exposing waste.
DeSantis and Ingoglia said there were several Florida counties that were not doing enough to cut local government spending. “This is nothing short of music to our ears,” Florida TaxWatch President and CEO, Dominic M. Calabro.
Just recently, Calabro identified inefficiencies that exist among local governments and laid out proposal to streamline operations and cut waste.
The Overlooked Power of Local Governments
Federal and state governments receive the bulk of media attention, while local purchasing departments quietly recommend and renew long-term contracts with minimal oversight. By the time a contract reaches a consent agenda for city councils or county commissions, debate is often nonexistent. Once approved, these contracts typically remain unexamined for five to 10 years—until renewal.
This isn’t to say local governments are inherently mismanaging funds. However, we must expect proper safeguards and ethical guidelines to protect taxpayers. Unlike state governments, which follow uniform procurement policies, each local entity sets its own rules, often without outside oversight. As a result, taxpayers face inconsistent protections and potential inefficiencies.
The Challenges of Local Procurement
Local purchasing agents face an overwhelming task—advertising, evaluating, executing, renewing, and overseeing hundreds of contracts for goods and services they can’t reasonably be expected to master.
For example, when bidders propose a new contract, who ensures a ‘competitive bid’ isn’t secretly written to favor the incumbent vendor? A single provision—such as requiring a certification from a European standards group instead of an American equivalent—can effectively sole-source a contract, blocking fair competition.
Some contracts lock in unnecessary expenses for years. Cities and counties overpay for imported goods despite domestic alternatives simply because contracts are so long that new vendors rarely get a chance to compete. In the face of tariff fluctuations, a domestic supplier would be a smarter safeguard against rising costs—but outdated contract terms often prevent such shifts.
The Illusion of Competition
Many local contracts are structured to automatically renew, meaning vendors retain lucrative agreements without ever facing new competition. Even when original prices have risen significantly, renewals are granted out of convenience, rather than rebidding the contract. If a contract is written to favor one vendor, competition is merely an illusion, and taxpayers foot the bill for inflated costs.
Expanding Accountability to Local Government
Another area that would be helpful is to recognize local and state government employees who go above and beyond to promote efficiency.
