Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia criticized Orange County’s 2025-2026 budget, saying the county had identified more than $300 million in what he called “excessive and wasteful spending.”
Ingoglia said the findings are part of a broader effort to scrutinize local government spending and promote property tax relief across Florida. Orange County’s general fund budget has increased 66.06 percent since 2019, according to the CFO’s office. Ingoglia’s office announced last year that it had identified nearly $200 million in overspending in the county’s 2024-2025 budget.
“Last September, my office revealed that local officials in Orange County were irresponsibly wasting taxpayer dollars,” Ingoglia said. “Not only did they not heed our warnings, they doubled down on their overspending. Taxpayers are suffering the consequences of their wasteful spending problem. Now is the time for property tax reform.”
The Florida Office of Fiscal Supervisors said Orange County overspent by $747.5 million over the past six years. The agency also cited growth in the county’s general fund budget since 2020, saying it increased by $688.8 million during a period when the county’s population increased by 131,538 people.
This means Orange County’s budget will increase by $20,945 for each family of four moving into the county, according to the CFO’s office.
Ingoglia’s office said Orange County could save 1.22 million in millage fees without disrupting essential services. If this reduction is adopted, the CFO’s office estimates that homeowners with a taxable home value of $300,000 would save $365 annually, while homeowners with a taxable home value of $400,000 would save $486 annually. A homeowner with a taxable value of $500,000 would save $608 per year.
Greg Ungru of Americans for Prosperity praised Ingoglia’s review of the county budget and said taxpayers deserve more transparency.
“Chief Financial Officer Ingoglia continues to keep his foot on the gas when it comes to identifying wasteful spending within local government,” Ungruu said. “Taxpayers deserve transparency, especially given how Orange County has continued to throw money away over the past six years. We will continue to work with the CFO as they continue to work hard to provide property tax relief for Floridians.”
Ingoglia’s office said the CFO has identified more than $2.4 billion in excessive and wasteful spending across the state and will continue to review local government budgets as part of his role as Florida’s chief financial officer.
