FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.
– Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that state teams will begin on-site inspections and audits of local, county, and municipal governments starting July 31.
Speaking at news conferences in both Fort Lauderdale and Gainesville on Tuesday morning, the governor was joined by
the newly sworn-in
Florida Department of Financial Services and Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia.
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DeSantis announced that Broward County will be the first to undergo the audits.
“Starting at the end of July, you’ll have the DOGE teams show up to these areas, review data systems, review the physical premises, review the personnel records of county and city governments, specifically ones that have come under the microscope,” DeSantis said.
DOGE, which stands for Department of Government Efficiency, is an initiative started by the Trump administration focused on cutting government waste and spending.
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The governor also highlighted Gainesville as a key focus of the audits, stating that over the last five years, Gainesville’s city government has increased burdens on property owners, collecting more than $30 million in additional ad valorem taxes — an increase of almost 86% since 2020. Gainesville’s operating budget has expanded by over $90 million annually.
“If you just divide by the residents, much less property owners, that’s $600 per resident in additional taxes,” DeSantis said.
The goal of the audits, DeSantis said, is to identify the reasons behind the tax increases and seek justification for the spending practices.
