Last week, Gov. Ron Desantis and newly appointed state chief financial officer Blaise Ingoglia are traveling the statewide, promoting Florida Government Efficiency (DOGE) and exposing waste.
Desantis and Ingoglia said there are some Florida counties that aren’t doing enough to cut municipal spending. “This is nothing but music to our ears,” says Dominique M. Calabro, president and CEO of Florida Taxwatch.
More recently, Calabro has identified inefficiencies that exist among local governments and laid out a proposal to streamline operations and reduce waste.
The power that local governments often overlook
While the federal and state governments are attracting media attention, local purchasing departments quietly recommend and renew long-term contracts with minimal surveillance. By the time the contract reaches the city council or county board agreement agenda, discussion often does not exist. Once approved, these contracts will usually remain untested for 5-10 years until renewal.
This is not to say that local governments are inherently false funding. However, you should expect appropriate safeguards and ethical guidelines to protect taxpayers. Unlike state governments that follow a unified procurement policy, each local entity often sets its own rules without external supervision. As a result, taxpayers face inconsistent protection and potential inefficiencies.
Local procurement challenges
Local purchasing agents face overwhelming tasks. It promotes, evaluates, executes, updates and oversees hundreds of contracts of goods and services that you cannot reasonably expect to master.
For example, when a bidder proposes a new contract, who guarantees that a “competitive bid” is not secretly written to support an incumbent vendor? A single provision, such as requiring certification from the European Standards Group on behalf of the US equivalent, can effectively surround contracts with sources and block fair competition.
Some contracts have locked up unnecessary expenses for years. The contracts are so long that new vendors rarely get the opportunity to compete, despite domestic alternatives, cities and counties of imported goods are overpaid. In the face of tariff fluctuations, domestic suppliers are smarter safeguards against rising costs, but outdated contract terms often prevent such changes.
The fantasy of competition
Many local contracts are configured to automatically renew. This means that vendors hold advantageous contracts without facing new competition. Even if the original price rises significantly, renewal is permitted for convenience, rather than revengeing the contract. If the contract is written to support one vendor, competition is merely an illusion, and taxpayers step into inflated costs bills.
Expanding accountability to local governments
Another area that can be helpful is recognizing local and state government officials who are over the top to promote efficiency.
