As state auditors from Florida DOGE descended upon Jacksonville to scrutinize local government spending, the city's finance committee made a decisive move, reducing the property tax by an eighth of a mill, which amounts to a $13.4 million cut. "It’s time to let our citizens breathe a little bit opposed to spending their hard-earned money on social programs quite honestly they probably didn’t ask for or even know that exist," said Raul Arias, Jr., the committee chair, in a statement obtained by First Coast News.
Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, while visiting Jacksonville, commended this effort, though he urged for more comprehensive cuts. "I would like to think that we had a little bit of a hand in that just making sure that people know that we're holding people accountable, elected officials, cities and counties for excessive spending, so I'm very happy that we see that," Ingoglia mentioned in remarks reported by First Coast News. His visit is part of a wider state effort to gauge and potentially reshape local government spending, especially with the looming possibility of a full property tax elimination should voters decide on it next November.
Ingoglia noted a staggering increase in property taxes in Jacksonville, over 50% since 2020, aligning with broader trends across Florida where post-COVID local government budgets have scaled anywhere from 60 to 100 percent higher, according to information shared with Action News Jax. He believes these figures underscore the need for heightened scrutiny and fiscal prudence.
However, the CFO's office brought forth a startling allegation. Ingoglia claimed, without presenting concrete evidence, that "multiple sources" tipped off his team about local governments digitally erasing key words from records, possibly to hinder the DOGE auditors' effectiveness. "It has come to my attention, and I am getting information, that there are some governments — cities and/or counties, not at liberty to say right now — are having some meetings with the sole purpose of scrubbing the information from public record as we start looking for some of the things that are outlined in our DOGE letters," Ingoglia told reporters, as relayed by Jax Today. He further warned that subpoenas and, if necessary, criminal charges could ensue if such tampering were to be substantiated.
Despite these accusations, Mayor Donna Deegan has stood firm, stating in an afternoon press conference that Ingoglia's remarks do not pertain to Jacksonville. "We would never do anything like that, so I don’t have any reason to believe he’s talking about Jacksonville," she said in commentary made available by Jax Today.
