DeSantis sends Florida DOGE teams to Broward, Gainesville to evaluate for transparency | FOX 51 Gainesville

DeSantis sends Florida DOGE teams to Broward, Gainesville to evaluate for transparency

On Thursday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis sent two teams from the Florida Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to Broward County and the City of Gainesville.

DeSantis said the two municipalities are among the first to receive on-site visits from DOGE teams in order to "ensure transparency and accountability in government."

Florida DOGE analyzes local governments

What we know:

Broward County and the City of Gainesville received on-site visits from Florida DOGE under the direction of DeSantis on Thursday. 

DeSantis said the teams will closely analyze local government spending, with team members from the Department of Financial Services, Department of Revenue, Department of Transportation, Department of Commerce and Department of Education. 

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Over the last five years, the governor said Broward County leaders have increased burdens on property owners to more than $450 million dollars in additional ad valorem tax collections. 

"This has been part of a spending spree that has seen Broward County’s annual operating budget expand by over $1.2 billion, during a time when the county’s population has grown by less than 5%," DeSantis said. 

The governor said the City of Gainesville will spend at least $90 million more than it did four years ago for both this year and years to come unless spending is cut. 

"This increase in spending is now levied in part on Gainesville property owners, who are expected to pay 85% more in property taxes than what they paid in 2020," he said. "This is due to both a rate increase and to rising property values that should be, but have not been, offset by a corresponding cut in taxes. As a result, Gainesville’s taxpayers are carrying an additional $90 million burden each year."

The backstory:

On July 22, DeSantis announced on-site audits of city and county governments starting July 31, targeting areas with complaints from taxpayers of wasteful spending.

‘Reckless local spending’

What they're saying:

DeSantis said that throughout his tenure Florida has paid down nearly 50% of the state’s total historic tax-supported debt and has maxed-out the state’s rainy-day fund. He said his signing of the Fiscal Year 2025-2026 budget marks the second consecutive year of a year-over-year reduction in state spending.  

"Florida is the model for fiscal responsibility at the state level, and we will utilize our authority to ensure local governments to follow suit," DeSantis said. "Florida’s DOGE efforts are owed to the taxpayer and yet another way their state is pursuing fiscal responsibility." 

New Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia said the state is ushering in a new era of transparency and accountability in Florida.

"For years, I've called out reckless local spending, often on things taxpayers would never support if they knew the full story," he said. "As local budgets grow, we must ask whether these increases are truly justified. Too often, we see spending far outpacing what Floridians can actually afford. I'm focused on making life more affordable — especially when it comes to housing, insurance and taxes — and that starts with right-sizing government. Through the authority of my office and Gov. DeSantis’ Florida DOGE initiative, we're opening the books, demanding answers and bringing fiscal sanity back. Florida’s taxpayers should know that this CFO has their back!" 

What's next:

DeSantis said he has sent additional letters of intent to visit Hillsborough, Pinellas and Orange counties, as well as the City of Jacksonville, so they can prepare for on-site visits from DOGE teams. 

What is Florida DOGE? When was it created?

Dig deeper:

DeSantis created the Florida DOGE in February 2025 through Executive Order 25-44, saying the inspiration came from Elon Musk's (DOGE), part of President Donald Trump's administration.

He said the creation of the group was "to ensure government efficiency, transparency and accountability at all levels of government, including state agencies, state colleges and universities, and local governments."

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DeSantis said the task force would audit and review how local and state agencies are spending taxpayer dollars and that they've eliminated Diversity, Equality and Inclusion initiatives. This takes force would also audit Florida colleges and universities to ensure they've eliminated DEI programs and to ensure they're offering classes beneficial to Florida students, DeSantis said.

The Source: This story was written based on information gathered from previous reporting and shared by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in a news release on July 31, 2025.

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