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<\/a><\/p>\n\u201cHaving entrusted their governments with the power to tax, the citizens of Florida have a right to expect that their elected officials will spend the collected funds responsibly, not recklessly, and on truly necessary programs,\u201d the letter reads, referring to the increases to the city\u2019s general fund budget as \u201cexcessive spending.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a post to social media following receipt of the letter, Welch said the city is \u201creviewing it carefully\u201d and \u201cwill fully cooperate, providing any additional information or clarification as requested.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy administration\u2019s Principles for Accountable and Responsible Government continue to guide our work. We will address any questions that may arise from the State\u2019s process and move forward with clarity and accountability in the best interest of the residents of St. Petersburg,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n
Florida Politics has requested clarification from the city about the numbers provided in the DOGE letter, and will update this report when that information is available.<\/p>\n
While Welch kept his response brief and cordial, state Rep. Michele Rayner, a Welch ally and no friend to the current Republican administration, had harsher words to describe the DOGE initiative.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWorking Floridians are drowning under low wages and soaring costs just to call this state home. Instead of confronting the real crises hurting our people, the Governor is dispatching state agents to punish local communities like St. Petersburg for doing their job: serving their communities,\u201d she said in a prepared statement.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis isn\u2019t fiscal oversight, it\u2019s political retaliation. And the cost falls on working families who depend on local services to survive and thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n Rayner suggested that instead of subjecting local governments to DOGE deep dives, the state should instead \u201cbe solving Florida\u2019s housing and insurance crisis, investing in strong public education, and working around the clock to bring down everyday costs.\u201d She further said Republicans leading the state should \u201cstart with cutting all tax breaks to billionaires and publicly traded companies.\u201d<\/p>\n The Aug. 1 letter, which the city did not receive until well after business hours on Friday, includes a litany of requests for additional information related to procurement and contracting; personnel compensation; management practices; city utilities; diversity, equity and inclusion jobs, spending and mission; adherence to the federal \u201cGreen New Deal,\u201d including the city\u2019s Integrated Sustainability Action Plan and transition to 100% clean energy\u201d; grants and financial management; transportation, including traffic calming and bicycle and pedestrian improvement projects; and homeless services.<\/p>\n It also seeks access to four city employees: Chief Equity Officer George Smith, ADA and Diversity Coordinator Lendel Bright, Supplier Diversity Manager Kourey Hendryx-Bell and Office of Sustainability and Resiliency Director Sharon Wright.<\/p>\n Under procurement and contracting, DOGE has solicited all policies, rules and legal requirements for contracts in excess of $10,000, and information \u201csupporting the determination of the reasonableness of pricing for procurements or contracts.\u201d<\/p>\n DOGE is also asking the city to provide data on how much it pays in overtime, bonuses and other employee compensation from Fiscal Year 2019-20 through the present and a list of departmentwide or citywide salary increases.<\/p>\n It also asks the city to provide information about staff meeting or exceeding performance targets, paid time off policies, and information about employment separation payments, such as severance, exceeding 25% of the employee\u2019s regular salary.<\/p>\n The letter further asks for information regarding inventory of tangible city property, and on any property the city leases or property it owns, with a specific inquiry about the date of acquisition, cost, current valuation, upkeep costs and plans for use or disposition.<\/p>\n DOGE is also requesting data to perform a deep dive into methods used to determine utility rates.<\/p>\n The Department is also taking aim at diversity, equity and inclusion programs at the city, commonly referred to as DEI, which have become a frequent target by GOP officials.<\/p>\n The letter requests a list of jobs whose responsibilities advance DEI initiatives, including those targeting anti-racism. It targets \u201cany form of preferential treatment based on race, ethnicity, gender, or the like\u201d and includes a parenthetical further specifying that includes \u201cthe use of substitutes such as \u2018cultural competence\u2019 or \u2018lived experience\u2019 to conceal such preferential treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n On the city\u2019s sustainability efforts, the letter seeks information related to the \u201cconsideration of alternatives to any such emissions goal or target\u201d and any cost-benefit analysis to support goals, as well as \u201call actual expenses to date associated with the goal or target.\u201d<\/p>\n The transportation section largely targets shared use paths and other infrastructure benefiting pedestrians and cyclists, including all improvements completed since Jan. 1, 2020, and \u201call actual maintenance and operating expenses.\u201d<\/p>\n The DOGE letter also seeks \u201cthe basis for the installation, including any plan, analysis, or recommendation\u201d for traffic calming devices, such as speed tables, raised intersections, speed bumps or curb extensions.<\/p>\n It further asks for information about any spending, including grants to providers or nonprofits, related to the city\u2019s homeless population. The letter seeks \u201call data collected or otherwise in the County\u2019s possession regarding mental health, crime, immigration status, substance abuse, and public service usage in connection with homeless and affordable housing services.\u201d<\/p>\n The letter reminds city officials that \u201cfinancial penalties may accrue for your failure to comply with each of\u201d the requests.<\/p>\n Those requests, which span seven pages, follow an initial letter sent to the city last month outlining three pages of requests. At that time, DOGE sought much more broad information, such as population; total city revenue; total city budget; breakdowns of property taxes and non-property tax revenue; and allocations to all city departments and spending budgets, such as police and fire, utilities, solid waste, transportation, culture and recreation, human services \u2014 such as mental health and public assistance \u2014 general government, and more.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, DOGE is also targeting Pinellas and Hillsborough counties<\/a>. While St. Pete has a Democratic Mayor and a Democratic majority City Council, Pinellas and Hillsborough County Commissions are both run by Republicans.<\/p>\n The language in the letters sent to Pinellas and Hillsborough are largely identical to the one sent to St. Pete. The Pinellas audit is set to take place this week, on Thursday and Friday, while the Hillsborough audit is slated for next week, on Monday and Tuesday and just ahead of St. Pete\u2019s audit.<\/p>\n Broward County and the city of Gainesville are also under review<\/a>.<\/p>\n Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an\u00a0executive order<\/a>\u00a0Feb. 24 establishing DOGE, with a mission to enforce fiscal accountability across local governments.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/728X90_Campus-Safety-1.jpg\")
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