Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia sharply criticized Broward County’s recently approved $1.7 billion property tax budget on Tuesday, accusing local leaders of wasting taxpayer dollars.
(function () {
var cb = Date.now();
var url = "https://ad.doubleclick.net/ddm/trackimp/N46002.2579645CARIBBEANNATIONALW/B31194710.438827226;dc_trk_aid=631925257;dc_trk_cid=249092787;ord=[timestamp];dc_dbm_token=${DC_DBM_TOKEN};dc_lat=;dc_rdid=;tag_for_child_directed_treatment=;tfua=;gdpr=${GDPR};gdpr_consent=${GDPR_CONSENT_755};ltd=;dc_tdv=1?"".replace("[timestamp]", cb);
var img = new Image(1,1);
img.src = url;
})();
“Government is just going wild with our tax dollars,” Ingoglia said during remarks at Keiser University in Pembroke Pines, using charts and figures to highlight what he described as excessive spending. He noted that for every new resident moving to Broward County over the past five years, the county’s budget increased by nearly $11,000.
Ingoglia’s comments come shortly after Broward County approved the budget, which included a small reduction in the county’s millage rate. He argued there is room for additional cuts to offer “true property tax relief” while fully funding police and fire services.
“There is more than enough money in the budget to fully fund fire and police,” he said, countering local officials who had argued that eliminating property taxes would risk underfunding first responders.
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) conducted a two-day review of the county’s general funds over the summer. According to Ingoglia, Broward County’s nearly $2 billion fund has grown by $617 million in five years, with about $190 million considered excessive or wasteful.
“The government bureaucracy itself is the wasteful spending,” Ingoglia said. “Government is expanding because they can, not because they need to.”
Broward County leaders defended their budget, pointing to fiscal responsibility and essential services. Mayor Beam Furr called the state review a “teachable moment,” noting that reserves are strong, the county has no debt, and it maintains a triple-A bond rating.
Commissioner Steve Geller added that the majority of budget increases have supported public safety, emergency services, and building reserves, as well as programs like homelessness initiatives, which state law requires.
DOGE officials said specifics on potential cuts will be released in a forthcoming report. Ingoglia declined to indicate which county budgets may be reviewed next under his office’s financial oversight efforts.
