A DRUG ANTI-DRUG PARTNERSHIP. IN OTHER NEWS, TODAY, THE FLORIDA CFO’S OFFICE JUST RELEASED A REPORT CRITICIZING THE SPENDING OF LOCAL GOVERNMENTS. DODGE TEAMS LOOKING AT MULTIPLE JURISDICTIONS, INCLUDING PALM BEACH COUNTY. D-II PROGRAMS AND TRAINING WERE BROUGHT UP WHERE THE REPORT SAYS THE COUNTY SPENT MORE THAN $150,000. THE REPORT ALSO SAYS LOCAL GOVERNMENTS MAY BE VIOLATING LAWS BY SPENDING TAXPAYER MONEY ON THOSE PROGRAMS. THE REPORT ALSO SAYS PALM BEACH COUNTY USED 16 MILLION ON THE HOMELESS POPULATION SINCE THE 2020 2021 FISCAL YE
Florida DOGE report claims Palm Beach County leads state in wasteful spending
Updated: 10:05 PM EST Jan 29, 2026
The Office of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis provided WPBF 25 News with its Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) report on local government spending.The 99-page report revealed the findings of the Florida DOGE analysis of Alachua County, Broward County, Hillsborough County, Manatee County, Orange County, Palm Beach County, Pinellas County, the city of Gainesville, the city of Jacksonville, the city of Orlando, the city of Pensacola, and the city of St. Petersburg.Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia’s initiative, the Florida Agency for Fiscal Oversight, which worked alongside Florida DOGE, reviewed 11 local governments over the last six months and said it exposed more than $1.86 billion in excessive wasteful spending.The baseline for DOGE was the 2019-2020 fiscal year budget, which was the first year the state was led by Gov. DeSantis.The report says that Palm Beach County led the state in wasteful spending, totaling $344 million.CLICK HERE TO READ THE DOGE REPORTThe report cited examples of what it claimed was Palm Beach County’s excessive spending, including:$12.8 million increase between FY 2021-22 and FY 2023-24 in the use of ad valorem tax revenue to fund Health Services.$88 million in growth — from $50 million to $138 million, or 176% growth — between Fiscal Year 2022-23 and Fiscal Year 2024-25 in spending on paratransit services.$70 million+ increase in salary and overtime expenses between Fiscal Year 2019-20 and FY 2025-26, a 37% increase that far outpaced the 26% inflation during the same period.$16 million in homeless spending since FY 2020-21 has incentivized an increase, not a decrease, in the homeless population, from 1,500 in 2020 to over 2,000 in 2024.A spokesperson for Palm Beach County Government told WPBF 25 News Thursday afternoon that the county received the report and declined to comment at this time.The DOGE report goes after diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. The report claims “DEI falsely taught city and county employees that discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, and gender is not only lawful, but legally and morally required.”The report noted that Palm Beach County received annual grants from the MacArthur Foundation’s Safety & Justice Challenge, totaling more than $4 million since 2015. The DOGE report claimed the grants led “to release convicted prisoners in the name of ‘eliminat racial inequities.'”However, the Safety & Justice Challenge notes on its website, “the jail population in Palm Beach County has been significantly reduced while keeping the community safe.”The county ended its association with the grant following a vote in October 2025. The report notes that since 2019, “Palm Beach County has spent $151,000 on DEI training across various county departments (the county reported the cost of many trainings to DOGE as “unknown”), including on subjects such as how some employees are ‘responsible for racism’ and ‘Living While Black.'”The report notes “over $1.1 million allocated to the Office of Resilience for Fiscal Year 2024-25, with it ranking “Social Equity” first in its list of values.”
The Office of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis provided WPBF 25 News with its Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) report on local government spending.
The 99-page report revealed the findings of the Florida DOGE analysis of Alachua County, Broward County, Hillsborough County, Manatee County, Orange County, Palm Beach County, Pinellas County, the city of Gainesville, the city of Jacksonville, the city of Orlando, the city of Pensacola, and the city of St. Petersburg.
Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia’s initiative, the Florida Agency for Fiscal Oversight, which worked alongside Florida DOGE, reviewed 11 local governments over the last six months and said it exposed more than $1.86 billion in excessive wasteful spending.
The baseline for DOGE was the 2019-2020 fiscal year budget, which was the first year the state was led by Gov. DeSantis.
The report says that Palm Beach County led the state in wasteful spending, totaling $344 million.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE DOGE REPORT
The report cited examples of what it claimed was Palm Beach County’s excessive spending, including:
$12.8 million increase between FY 2021-22 and FY 2023-24 in the use of ad valorem tax revenue to fund Health Services.$88 million in growth — from $50 million to $138 million, or 176% growth — between Fiscal Year 2022-23 and Fiscal Year 2024-25 in spending on paratransit services.$70 million+ increase in salary and overtime expenses between Fiscal Year 2019-20 and FY 2025-26, a 37% increase that far outpaced the 26% inflation during the same period.$16 million in homeless spending since FY 2020-21 has incentivized an increase, not a decrease, in the homeless population, from 1,500 in 2020 to over 2,000 in 2024.
A spokesperson for Palm Beach County Government told WPBF 25 News Thursday afternoon that the county received the report and declined to comment at this time.
The DOGE report goes after diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
The report claims “DEI falsely taught city and county employees that discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, and gender is not only lawful, but legally and morally required.”
The report noted that Palm Beach County received annual grants from the MacArthur Foundation’s Safety & Justice Challenge, totaling more than $4 million since 2015.
The DOGE report claimed the grants led “to release convicted prisoners in the name of ‘eliminat[ing] racial inequities.'”
However, the Safety & Justice Challenge notes on its website, “the jail population in Palm Beach County has been significantly reduced while keeping the community safe.”
The county ended its association with the grant following a vote in October 2025.
The report notes that since 2019, “Palm Beach County has spent $151,000 on DEI training across various county departments (the county reported the cost of many trainings to DOGE as “unknown”), including on subjects such as how some employees are ‘responsible for racism’ and ‘Living While Black.'”
The report notes “over $1.1 million allocated to the Office of Resilience for Fiscal Year 2024-25, with it ranking “Social Equity” first in its list of values.”