\u201cIt\u2019s concerning because government just thinks that you\u2019re an ATM,\u201d Ingoglia said. \u201cZero fiscal constraint, whatsoever. Government at all levels has a spending problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ingoglia, who oversees at least seven government agencies or divisions<\/a>, said FAFO typically does not highlight the number of new city employees \u201cbecause they all come in, relatively, around the same.\u201d He believes St. Petersburg is an outlier.<\/p>\n Local officials are taking taxpayer dollars to grow governments, Ingoglia stressed, instead of funding \u201canything that you guys can see, touch and feel out in the community.\u201d For example, St. Petersburg hired 371 people over the past six years, he said.<\/p>\n That \u201cdoesn\u2019t make sense at all,\u201d as only 65 of those hires were first responders. \u201cThe rest were absolutely nothing but bureaucrats and administrative personnel,\u201d Ingoglia added.<\/p>\n He alleged that two mayoral administrations hired one new \u201cbureaucrat\u201d for every 38 additional residents. Officials overtaxed residents by 1.34 mills, Ingoglia said, and residents with a $400,000 home could have saved $535 annually.<\/p>\n \u201cGovernment cannot grow faster than inflation and population, and if you do, then you have to refund the money back to the citizens,\u201d Ingoglia said of his methodology. \u201cBecause you are growing government too quickly. It is considered the gold standard of holding governments accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n Ingoglia, noting that FAFO is not DOGE, said he did not need to discern \u201cgranular details\u201d when \u201cbasic math tells me\u201d that most of the $49 million went to personnel costs. He was also unsure when St. Petersburg would receive its final audit report, which was due earlier this month.<\/p>\n City officials received the report hours after the private meeting. Mayor Ken Welch said in a prepared statement that they are working to verify Ingoglia\u2019s assertions and encouraged residents with questions to review the city\u2019s \u201ctransparent\u201d budget<\/a> and property tax information<\/a> websites.<\/p>\n \u201cRecent events remind us of the harm<\/a> that false and politically motivated statements can create,\u201d Welch said. \u201cThe CFO\u2019s claims are unsubstantiated and targeted to support the obvious political agenda of justifying property tax changes, regardless of the impacts on police and fire service delivery by local governments.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will continue to operate based on facts, not conjecture.\u201d<\/p>\n Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia brought several visual aids to highlight purported fiscal overreach.<\/p>\n Welch also realizes that any government rebuttals could, if people heed Ingoglia\u2019s warnings, fall on deaf ears. The chief financial officer warned attendees \u2013 mostly supporters and some media members \u2013 that local officials would use \u201cscare tactics\u201d and \u201cevery excuse in the book\u201d to maintain \u201cexcessive and wasteful spending.\u201d<\/p>\n City Council Chair Lisset Hanewicz recently noted that 97.5% of St. Petersburg property taxes<\/a> fund the police and fire departments. When asked to reconcile that figure with previous statements<\/a>, Ingoglia called it \u201ca trick,\u201d \u201cspin\u201d and \u201ccrap.\u201d<\/p>\n He said visitors and residents help fund public safety budgets through sales taxes. Ingoglia also stressed that property tax relief and government accountability were non-partisan issues.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Ingoglia-St.-Pete-budget_MP-1024x639.jpg\")
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