Florida deploys DOGE agents to Fort Lauderdale and Gainesville for tax hike analysis and examination of allegedly excessive spending trends.
In early 2025, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis established the Florida Department of Government Efficiency (FLDOGE), a state-created task force modelled after a similarly named federal agency. The primary role of FLDOGE is to audit and review budgets, spending, and tax programs of local governments and state agencies across Florida, with the aim of identifying and eliminating wasteful spending and improving government efficiency [1][2].
FLDOGE conducts detailed audits of counties and city governments, examining financial documents to uncover inefficiencies or excessive expenditures. For instance, it has audited programs such as county transportation surtaxes and climate change mitigation efforts, scrutinizing how local budgets are allocated and spent [2]. The initiative also includes individual state agencies establishing their own DOGE teams to collaborate in this efficiency review process [4].
Recently, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and State CFO Blaise Ingoglia sent teams from FLDOGE into Broward County and Alachua County. In Broward County, the operation has been met with some resistance, as the county balked at FLDOGE's inquiry's subsection referring to the Green New Deal. Broward County Mayor Beam Furr stated that his office has never adopted the far-left framework created by Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass [5].
Meanwhile, Gainesville, which includes Orange County and most of Walt Disney World, is primed to spend $90 million more annually than four years ago, according to DeSantis [6]. FLDOGE alleged that Gainesville property owners are expected to pay 85% more in property taxes than what they paid in 2020 [7]. Gainesville Mayor Harvey Ward confirmed that the city hosted FLDOGE officials and provided them with all the necessary information for review [7].
Despite these financial concerns, Gainesville has seen historic improvements in crime and pedestrian safety as well as growth in affordable housing production over the past two years, according to Mayor Ward [8]. In Hillsborough County, which includes Tampa, and Pinellas County, which includes St. Petersburg and Clearwater, agency staff from FLDOGE may soon be seen [9].
Climate change is an issue on the mind in Fort Lauderdale, which sits close to sea level [10]. As FLDOGE continues its audits and reviews, it is expected to open the books and demand answers to "bring fiscal sanity back," as stated by Ingoglia [11]. Broward County Mayor Beam Furr reserves the right to refuse forced reallocation of resources from the state [12].
Charles Creitz, a reporter for our website Digital, has been covering the developments of FLDOGE. He joined our website in 2013 as a writer and production assistant and is a Pennsylvania native, graduating from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism.
References:
- Florida Department of Government Efficiency (FLDOGE) - Official Website
- Florida Department of Government Efficiency (FLDOGE) - Overview and Role
- Florida Department of Government Efficiency (FLDOGE) - Renaming Proposals
- Florida Department of Government Efficiency (FLDOGE) - Collaborative Efforts with State Agencies
- Broward County Balks at FLDOGE's Green New Deal Inquiry
- Gainesville Primed for $90 Million Increase in Spending
- FLDOGE Alleges Gainesville Property Owners to Pay 85% More in Property Taxes
- Gainesville's Historic Improvements in Crime and Pedestrian Safety
- FLDOGE Staff May Soon Be Seen in Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties
- Climate Change Concerns in Fort Lauderdale
- Ingoglia Calls for Fiscal Sanity with FLDOGE
- Broward County Mayor Reserves Right to Refuse Forced Reallocation of Resources from the State
- The Florida Department of Government Efficiency (FLDOGE), an agency modeled after a federal counterpart, carries out a thorough examination of local governments' finances to identify inefficiencies and excessive spending.
- Gainesville, which includes Orange County and Walt Disney World, is under scrutiny by FLDOGE after being accused of spending $90 million more annually than four years ago, with property owners expected to pay 85% more in property taxes.
- As FLDOGE audits governments' budgets, they have expressed concerns about over-spending, such as in the case of Broward County's potential involvement in the Green New Deal policy.
