Overview
- Blaise Ingoglia said audits of ten local governments have identified about $1.5 billion in alleged excess spending, with Orlando at roughly $22 million, or about 4% of its budget, and Orange County at $190 million.
- Ingoglia said he plans to hire more auditors, CPAs and local-government experts to review every taxing authority in Florida, asserting constitutional authority to do so.
- His office defines excess by comparing 2019 spending, adjusted for inflation and population growth, to current levels, and it has not released detailed data on category-by-category classifications.
- Mayor Buddy Dyer defended Orlando’s fiscal approach, citing an unchanged millage for 12 years, balanced budgets, and $406 million spent on police and fire last year versus $360 million collected in property taxes.
- Critics, including Democratic state Rep. Anna Eskamani, argue the method ignores unfunded mandates and tourist-driven service needs, and reporters link the campaign to Republican efforts for property-tax relief on next year’s ballot.