Florida DOGE reviewing Hillsborough County's $9 billion budget this week

TAMPA, Fla. - State auditors are reviewing Hillsborough County’s $9 billion budget this week as part of a growing push to rein in local government spending across Florida.

The effort is being led by the Florida Department of Government Efficiency, or "DOGE" task force, which has also visited Manatee and Pinellas counties in recent weeks.

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What we know:

Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia said the mission is simple: cut spending, and in turn, cut property taxes.

"What we’re planning on doing is going around and trying to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse on a local level," Ingoglia said.

He said local budgets have become bloated and taxpayers would be upset if they truly understood where their money was going.

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"This is all as a precursor and a pretext to reducing property taxes here in the state of Florida," he added.

Auditors are examining local government contracts and positions tied to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), electric vehicles, solar energy and climate-related initiatives.

The backstory:

Governor DeSantis has made local fiscal accountability a key part of his agenda, encouraging audits across the state.

Hillsborough County Commissioner Josh Wostal said he actually invited the state to examine their books.

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"I’m pretty sure that I’m the first elected official in the state of Florida to voluntarily ask the state’s DOGE to come and look at us," Wostal said.

He believes the review could lead to meaningful changes that lower costs for residents.

"Property taxes are a direct scaling and unavoidable cost of living, and something’s gotta be done about it," he said. 

What they're saying:

Not everyone is convinced the audit will uncover waste. Commissioner Harry Cohen said, while he welcomes the audit, the county already follows strict regulations and oversight procedures.

"It’s very, very highly scrutinized, regulated and audited. So, I would be surprised if there was anything, certainly anything of any significance, that came out," Cohen said.

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He also emphasized where the bulk of the county’s property tax dollars go.

"While it’s true that property tax revenues are up, 83% of that money has been used directly for public safety."

What's next:

The DOGE task force has not released findings yet, but officials said they’re conducting similar reviews in municipalities across Florida.

Ingoglia said audits of other counties in Florida have found evidence of "egregious" waste, but declined to elaborate until a full report is released, which he said could take at least 60 days.