TALHASSEE, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis has appointed state Sen. Blaze Ingoglier as Florida’s new chief financial officer and has filled a major cabinet post since former CFO Jimmy Patronis resigned earlier this year to pursue a seat in Congress.
Ingoglia, a Spring Hill home builder and Republican lawmaker, said she plans to work as the state’s active fiscal watchdog and is committed to focusing on insurance companies’ tax exemptions and oversight.
“I’m going to be Florida’s aggressive fiscal watchdog,” Ingoglia said. “The reforms we passed several years ago are beginning to bending the cost curve in terms of insurance rates.”
In addition to addressing insurance issues, Ingoglia said it will scrutinise the finances of local governments. “We’re going to start digging into some of this wasted spending,” he says, indicating a closer look at the city and county budgets.
Ingoglia was elected to the Florida Senate in 2022 and represents District 11, including Citrus, Hernando, Sumter and parts of Pasco counties. He previously worked in a Florida home from 2014 to 2022.
He is also known to sponsor Senate Bill 1718 in 2023. This is necessary for hospitals receiving Medicaid funds to collect immigration status for patients, including provisions for invalidated state driver’s licenses issued to undocumented immigrants. The bill also made transporting undocumented immigrants to Florida a felony. Governor Desantis signed the law in May 2023.
Desantis’ Ingoglia’s choice is against the wishes of former President Donald Trump, who supported Republican Sen. Joe Gruters for the CFO post in the 2026 election. When asked about a potential conflict, Desantis dismissed it.
“He’s never mentioned this to me, so I don’t know how expensive it is on his radar,” the governor said of Trump.
With the CFO’s role fulfilled, there is still one big vacant seat in Desantis. Former Lieutenant Colonel Janet Nunez left her position earlier this year to become president of Florida International University. State Sen. Jay Collins is mentioned as a possible alternative.
