Gov. DeSantis announces Florida DOGE audit of Manatee County Government
BRADENTON, Fla. - The State of Florida’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) will audit Manatee County Government’s spending and finances, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced at a news conference in Bradenton on Thursday.
Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, who was sworn in earlier this week, joined the governor at Thursday's news conference.
"You have to ask yourself: Are the taxpayers getting the most bang for their buck?" Ingoglia said Thursday. "Are local governments actually spending frugally, fiscally, as if it was their money?"
The backstory:
Earlier this year, the state launched its own Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), modeled after the federal government’s effort to find fraud, waste and abuse after President Donald Trump took office in January.
At a news conference in Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday, the governor said more DOGE audits of county and municipal governments will begin July 31.
A team composed of auditors and other staff from various state agencies will "conduct reviews of the data systems, physical premises and personnel of counties and cities that have thus far refused to cooperate with us to identify and report on any excessive spending patterns."
"Property tax receipts have gone up 86% in the last six years in this county. And that’s $213 million in increased collection. Now, there has been growth in Manatee, but it’s been about 14%, and you compare that to the 86% of the property tax growth, there is some dissonance there," DeSantis said.
On Tuesday, the governor announced audits of Broward County and the City of Gainesville, saying more announcements would be coming.
What they're saying:
During Thursday's news conference, DeSantis talked about rising property taxes becoming a burden on homeowners, adding that Manatee County has added $161 million to its reserves in the last six years, bringing the county's total reserves to $734 million.
"We run budget surpluses in Florida. We've maxed out the rainy day fund, but there's also a point in which we shouldn't just be bogarting money. We want to give back, right? Give back to taxpayers," DeSantis said.
Pictured: Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at a news conference in Bradenton, Florida on July 24, 2025.
"I don't think that the governor said anything that we aren't already doing on our own," Manatee County commissioner Carol Ann Felts said after Thursday’s news conference.
Felts told FOX 13 she was in the auditing business at one time. As a recently elected board member, she said she has every intention of evaluating the county’s expenses.
"We have a pretty turned-over board for the most part, and I think this should be everybody's goal: To make sure that our tax dollars are collected fairly and used correctly," Felts added.
Ingoglia, a longtime critic of wasteful spending, focused his message on cutting down on fraud, waste and abuse in government.
"Most governments, most elected officials, they view it as not your money. We need to remind them that it's your money," Ingoglia said.
Dig deeper:
A Manatee County spokesperson released a statement Thursday afternoon, which reads:
Manatee County Government appreciates Governor DeSantis and Chief Financial Officer Ingoglia’s ongoing commitment to fiscal responsibility and transparency through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative. Indeed, we have already been in the process of providing information and insight into the county’s ongoing efforts to increase efficiencies.
Manatee County Government looks forward to working with the State of Florida and the State DOGE team on their efforts. We are proud of the progress we’ve made here in Manatee County and look forward to identifying ways to improve.
We recognize the importance of ensuring taxpayer dollars are spent effectively and are pleased to collaborate with the state by forming a local Citizen Liaison Committee dedicated to identifying potential efficiencies within our operations. There will be an appointment of five (5) members of the new committee during the next Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) meeting on Tuesday July 29, 2025, to begin their work – leveraging private sector expertise while providing a venue for public participation.
As stewards of public resources, we continue to prioritize responsible budgeting and accountability to our residents. In fact, Manatee County ranked as the 8th least reliant on ad-valorem taxes county in the state of Florida with 21.8% of the budget reliant on those taxes.
We are excited to continue this partnership with the Governor’s office in the continuing to ensure Manatee County as efficient as possible.
The Source: This story was written with information from a news conference in Bradenton, Florida, on July 24, 2025.