Florida CFO proposes legislative reforms to curb local government overspending

TAMPA, Fla. - Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia is pushing for legislative reforms aimed at increasing transparency and accountability for local government spending across the state.

During a press conference in Tampa Wednesday afternoon, Ingoglia said his office found more than $1.86 billion in wasteful local government spending in the last year, after comparing the numbers to their baseline budget.

The backstory:

The baseline budget was adjusted annually to account for inflation and population growth, but Ingoglia said several local governments exceeded the projections significantly.

According to Ingoglia, examples of overspending in the past year include:

• $302 million in Miami-Dade County
• $344 million in Palm Beach County
• $199 million in Jacksonville
• $190 million in Orange County
• $112 million in Manatee County

The City of Orlando, which Ingoglia said exceeded its baseline budget by $22 million, was mentioned as showing some fiscal restraint.

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Ingoglia said many local governments had little to no fiscal restraint and used the increased tax revenues on spending rather than to reduce financial burdens on residents.

Proposed Reforms:

To address the issue, Ingoglia detailed proposed legislative reforms aiming to give taxpayers more insight into how their money is spent.

Key components of the proposal include:

• Florida Agency for Fiscal Oversight (FAFO) audits, focused on identifying wasteful or excessive spending
• Providing whistleblower protection for government employees, contractors and taxpayers who report wasteful tax spending by local governments.
• Requiring local governments to report contracts into a centralized state financial system.
• Mandating an annual efficiency report which tracks cash on hand, revenue flow, salary information and funding sources.

At this time, the proposal does not include financial penalties, but Ingoglia said the goal is to establish clear expectations and public accountability for all local governments.

What's next:

Ingoglia said he plans to work with Governor Ron DeSantis to move the legislation forward when it is introduced during the upcoming session.