Talahassee, Fla. (WFLA) – The Florida government’s Department of Efficiency, or Doge, is heading towards the Bay Area.
Gov. Ron Desantis and Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia require cities and counties to provide access to buildings, budget records and data systems. But some lawmakers on the Capitol want to turn the administration’s script over.
“First of all, Gov. Ron DeSantis needs to do his own thing,” state Rep. Anna Escamani (D-Orlando) said.
State Democrats call Florida Dozi’s efforts political retaliation.
“Manatee County is also targeted, but all the currently elected commissioners in Manatee County are his enemies. These are Republicans and conservative commissioners not supported by Ron DeSantis,” Escamani said.
However, Desantis presents another picture, stating that cities cannot justify spending.
“The local government I saw definitely had a great opportunity to provide relief to taxpayers, but they don’t,” DeSantis said.
Desantis and Ingoglia have taken away the possibility of a change in the name of this initiative. Both authorities responded to X’s posts about “Florida Doge,” where “Florida Doge” is branded as “Florida Agency for Florida Director.”
But even after the name changes, critics raise the red flag and say DeSantis wants to let go of the magnifying glass from him and move it to local government instead.
“This is an administration engaged in free spending, even in the Florida scandal, whether public funds are a hope siphoned for political elections or an Everglades detention facility where more than $5 billion is spent in tent cities,” Escamani said.
However, Ingoglia had a different perspective on spending with the Everglades.
“I don’t want to hear them talk about the money they’ve been holding back for Crocodile Alcatraz to actually infuse illegal criminal foreigners and people struggling the border. They didn’t say they were spending $20 billion on their hotel rooms in New York City,” Ingoglier said.
Desantis spokesman Brian Wright shared a statement with the 8 on your side. “The Florida Dozi Task Force is pleased with the degree of cooperation, particularly following the appointment of Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia and the establishment of SB 2502.
