St. Petersburg will undergo an on-site review by state-appointed auditors Wednesday and Thursday. It may not be their last visit.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, who oversees the Florida Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), said he had a \u201cchilling message\u201d Monday for local governments: \u201cCities and counties should not make the mistake to think this is a short-term thing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ingoglia addressed the media outside of the Hillsborough County Center building in Tampa, where the DOGE team continued its local visits. The state appointees conducted on-site reviews of Pinellas County\u2019s finances late last week.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not going away,\u201d Ingoglia said. \u201cIf I\u2019m blessed to be in this job position for nine years, you can rest assured that I\u2019m going to be continuing these audits. So, if we miss something on the first go around, we\u2019re going to get it on the second and third go around.\u201d<\/p>\n
In February, Gov. Ron DeSantis launched Florida\u2019s DOGE, designed to mirror the much-maligned federal version. Sunsetting 70 boards and commissions, cutting 900 positions, requiring universities to undergo independent reviews and identifying unnecessary spending using artificial intelligence (AI) were among the stated goals<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n However, many of the myriad specific requests in letters sent to Pinellas County and St. Petersburg<\/a> encompass diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), the \u201cGreen New Deal,\u201d grants and government-owned properties.\u00a0<\/p>\n Ingoglia said DOGE has \u201cheard of instances\u201d where local officials have changed \u201ckeywords on contracts from diversity, equity or inclusion to something else.\u201d That \u201cmakes it harder to find\u201d when the team conducts an AI search.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, if there\u2019s any local government employees out there, do not listen to your bosses,\u201d Ingoglia added. \u201cDo not change anything, because one of the things we have at our disposal are subpoenas.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n He said digital forensics experts from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement would discern who made the changes. Ingoglia believes local officials \u201care afraid that I and the DOGE team are going to find some of this spending<\/a>.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n In a prepared statement, St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch said the city will \u201cfully cooperate\u201d with DOGE and provide \u201cany additional information or clarification as requested.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The letters state that DeSantis charged DOGE with finding excessive and reckless spending. The correspondence and in-person visits coincide with his calls to eliminate property taxes<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Ingoglia said general fund expenditures, supported by increasing property values, have increased by 60% to 120% statewide over the past five years. Pinellas County\u2019s letter pegged the number<\/a> at 43%.\u00a0<\/p>\n However, Commission Chair Brian Scott replied that the accurate calculation<\/a> was 37%, and nearly half of the general fund supports the sheriff\u2019s office. His letter, dated Aug. 6, also noted that state-mandated costs associated with the Florida Retirement System\u2019s enhancements have increased general fund expenditures.<\/p>\n \u201cPinellas County commissioners, if they did bring that up, have a good, valid point,\u201d Ingoglia said Monday. \u201cContextualizing is fine. We will ask those questions when appropriate.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Property taxes account for 73% of St. Petersburg\u2019s general fund. Pinellas County Schools Superintendent Kevin Hendrick noted that roughly 80% of the district\u2019s budget stems from those revenues, and the state sets its millage rate.\u00a0<\/p>\n