Overview
- At a Seminole County press conference, CFO Blaise Ingoglia cited a jump in the county’s general fund from about $275 million in 2019–20 to roughly $475 million as evidence of overspending despite population growth of about 25,000.
- Ingoglia said the excess rises to about $77 million when factoring in a 0.5‑mill increase approved last month, which commissioners described as the first rate hike in 16 years to close a roughly $35 million shortfall.
- County officials defended the decision as necessary to preserve public safety and other services, pointing to inflation, rising insurance and energy costs, and unfunded mandates.
- Ingoglia said the Seminole review came from the Florida Agency for Fiscal Oversight and noted no Department of Governmental Efficiency audit is planned there, though he signaled willingness to visit on site.
- The push in Seminole follows DOGE actions elsewhere, including investigative subpoenas in Orange County, as other local governments challenge the state’s examples and funding characterizations.