Overview

• At a Seminole County news conference, Blaise Ingoglia said the county’s general fund rose from about $275 million in 2019–20 to about $475 million, with roughly 25,338 more residents, and he estimated excess spending of $48 million later revised to $77 million after a tax hike.
• He acknowledged there is no DOGE audit planned for Seminole County and said his team has not examined line-item expenditures there.
• Ingoglia said the Seminole estimate comes from a Florida Agency for Fiscal Oversight review of spending trends relative to inflation and population rather than a detailed DOGE audit.
• Seminole commissioners recently approved the first property tax rate increase in 16 years to $5.38 per $1,000 of taxable value, a 10.2% rise, and also raised gas and public service taxes, citing higher costs for insurance and law enforcement.
• The Seminole stop extends a statewide campaign that has included investigative subpoenas for 16 Orange County employees and seeks support for a November 2026 property-tax referendum, drawing pushback from local officials over the state’s methodology and specificity, which Ingoglia disputes.