Two investigative teams from the Florida Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) arrived this week in Broward County and the City of Gainesville, launching in-depth audits of local government spending as part of Governor Ron DeSantis’ ongoing push for transparency and fiscal accountability.
The deployments follow Governor DeSantis’ creation of DOGE in February through Executive Order 25-44, aimed at identifying waste and inefficiencies at all levels of government. The teams include personnel from the Department of Financial Services, Department of Revenue, Department of Transportation, Department of Commerce, and Department of Education.
“Florida is the model for fiscal responsibility at the state level, and we will utilize our authority to ensure local governments follow suit,” DeSantis said in a statement. “Florida’s DOGE efforts are owed to the taxpayer and yet another way their state is pursuing fiscal responsibility.”
State officials say Broward County’s budget has ballooned by more than $1.2 billion over the past five years, despite a population increase of less than 5%. That growth includes over $450 million in additional ad valorem taxes now levied on property owners.
In Gainesville, officials say the city is projected to spend at least $90 million more annually than it did four years ago. Property owners are expected to pay 85% more in taxes compared to 2020, due to rate hikes and rising property values that have not been met with offsetting tax cuts.
“We’re ushering in a new era of transparency and accountability in Florida,” said Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia. “For years, I’ve called out reckless local spending, often on things taxpayers would never support if they knew the full story. Through the DOGE initiative, we’re opening the books, demanding answers, and bringing fiscal sanity back.”
In addition to the current visits, letters of intent have been sent to Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Orange counties, as well as the City of Jacksonville, alerting them to future on-site reviews.
State officials say the effort builds on a broader record of fiscal policy under DeSantis, including paying down nearly half of Florida’s historic tax-supported debt and achieving back-to-back reductions in annual state spending. The state has also fully funded its rainy-day reserves.
