State DOGE to conduct on-site audits of Florida's Pinellas, Hillsborough counties

TAMPA, Fla. — Florida’s Department of Government Efficiency is set to conduct on-site audits of Pinellas and Hillsborough counties, starting next week.

In letters addressed to the chairpersons of Pinellas and Hillsborough’s county commissions, state officials said their budgets showed excessive spending of tax dollars.

The letters have a long list of records the counties need to provide, including information, initiatives and communications related to diversity, equity and inclusion and climate change.

Officials requested access to Pinellas County buildings, data systems and personnel for Aug. 7 and Aug. 8. Hillsborough’s audit is planned for Aug. 11 and 12.

“Having entrusted their governments with the power to tax, the citizens of Florida have a right to expect that their elected officials will spend the collected funds responsibly, not recklessly, and on truly necessary programs,” the letter to Pinellas County said.

The governor’s office on Thursday released a statement that two DOGE teams had gone to the city of Gainesville and Broward County to analyze their spending. Letters of intent were also sent to Orange County and the city of Jacksonville.

“We’re ushering in a new era of transparency and accountability in Florida,” Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia said in the statement.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis last week announced the state would conduct on-site inspections, and said he had received complaints about a handful of governments, including Hillsborough, Alachua and Manatee counties.

The state’s DOGE efforts began in February, mimicking the federal program aimed at reducing government spending.

Hillsborough County commissioners in April approved the creation of a committee to examine its spending, and Pinellas officials followed suit that month and approved a resolution to comply with the state’s financial inquiries.

Pinellas Commission chairperson Brian Scott said he is hopeful the audit will be a “collaborative effort” between the county and state to identify ways to more efficiently deliver services.

The state is “asking for a Mount Everest of information,” he said, but having additional observation is helpful.

“The letter to us was a little accusatory, you know, ‘reckless spending’ and things like that,” Scott said. “I don’t agree with the tone of the letter, but we’re going to make everything available for them to come and look.”

Tampa Bay governments have been quietly complying with DOGE inquiries in recent months, sending over budgets, employee salaries, grant spending and more. The state is also seeking contracts, employee compensation, property records and utilities system information.

The state further requested all jobs since Jan. 1, 2020 related to diversity, equity and inclusion and “so-called anti-racism.”

And it asked for the current position of any employee still working with the county who previously had a job in that area and any communication sent to staff from Jan. 1, 2019 to now regarding diversity.

“Taxpayer funds should not be used to segregate Americans and promote Discrimination, Exclusion, and Indoctrination,” DeSantis spokesperson Brian Wright wrote in an email. “For this reason, the budget implementation legislation specifically directed that our reviews include an examination of local DEI.”

Under a subheading titled “Green New Deal,” the state asks for “documentation related to the adoption of any climate change, emissions reduction or carbon reduction target,” as well as electric vehicle expenses.

“City and county spending on Green New Deal and climate initiatives is often a bad value for taxpayers and consists of expensive feel-good and corrupt activities,” Wright wrote.

Counties can accrue financial penalties if they do not comply with the list of requests.

Officials in Broward County have disputed claims the state has made about its spending.

In both letters to Hillsborough and Pinellas officials, the state said after reviewing their budgets, increased property taxes led to more expenditures.

“We welcome all local officials to demonstrate fiscal responsibility to us, and we stand by the numbers we have released,” Wright said.

Hillsborough County Administrator Bonnie Wise said in a statement the county concurs with the state’s calculation of its spending, which increased by nearly 70% since fiscal year 2018-2019, according to the letter.

“The County welcomes the opportunity to meet with the (Executive Office of the Governor) DOGE Team and share the story of how we have made meaningful, strategic investments in public safety, transportation, and infrastructure projects since Fiscal Year 2019,” Wise said.

Scott in Pinellas County said he was skeptical of the state’s calculation. The county’s office of management and budget is preparing an analysis to send back to the state.

“Looking at what they said in there, that our taxes have gone up $220 million, but we’ve spent $330 million more, would suggest that we’re in deficit spending, which we’re not,” Scott said. “Right there on the surface, I question the numbers.”