CFO Blaise Ingoglia says the City of Jacksonville spent excessive amounts of money, about $275 million, on what he calls unnecessary government programs.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia stopped in Jacksonville Monday to discuss government accountability, specifically when it comes to what he calls wasteful spending by the city.
Ingoglia said the City of Jacksonville expanded its government and spent excessive amounts of money — money that should still be in the pockets of taxpayers.
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He specifically identified over $275 million as wasted.
Ingoglia took to the podium, saying the problem is local government growing faster than the taxpayer’s ability to pay for it.
He used the “FAFO Audit”, which calculates the overall spending by taking the 2019-2020 fiscal year budget and adjusting it for population growth and inflation, as evidence for Jacksonville’s excessive spending.
Ingoglia said the $275.7 million dollars spent was above the amount accounted for by inflation and population growth, with an additional $69 million buffer. He attributed it to government programs that are not needed.
Ingoglia previously visited Jacksonville in September 2025, also targeting the city’s spending.
When asked Monday, Ingoglia did not name specific programs he would like to see cut, but said the city was hiring too many administrative employees.
“I think Councilman Rory Diamond has put out a bunch of stuff that could probably be cut.” Ingoglia said. “I don’t know the specific items on that—i haven’t dug into the details. But what it will tell you is that what we have seen across government and school boards is that they’re hiring way too many employees that are not in line with the amount of population growth.
Shortly after the press conference ended, First Coast News reached out to Mayor Donna Deegan’s office for a comment regarding Ingoglia’s claims.
“Once again, the state CFO has swooped into town without any specifics and more numbers pulled out of thin air. It’s another hyper-partisan exercise designed to bully cities and lay the groundwork for passage of a property tax cost shift that will hurt the vast majority of people.
“Jacksonville is already a low tax city with a lean and efficient budget that delivers the greatest return for our citizens. People want parks, libraries, pools, roads, and lower housing and healthcare costs. That’s not waste. That’s providing a good quality of life for a world class city. And that’s what we’ve been focused on since day one.”
“This morning, the CFO claimed the wasteful spending was only in the last three years. But he said otherwise in his September 2025 press conference in Jacksonville.
“‘The spending is not just a Democrat problem. This is a Democrat and a Republican problem.’
“That flip flop further shows this is a hyper-partisan exercise.”
In a Florida DOGE report released in January 2026, the team, led by Ingoglia, identified potential savings by cutting down overtime and grants related to arts and non-profits believed to promote DEI.