Florida CFO announces legislative proposal to oversee local government spending

Florida’s Chief Financial Officer, Blaise Ingoglia, announced a new legislative proposal on Thursday to make local government more accountable and transparent. According to Ingoglia, 11 local governments are projected to have spent $1.6 billion wastefully over the last year. Some of these include $190 million in Orange County, $112 million in Manatee County, $301 million in Miami, $344 million in Palm Beach County and $22 million in Orlando.Ingoglia said local governments are doing this to make excuses to raise property taxes. To protect taxpayers from excessive local government spending, Ingoglia proposed to formally establish the Florida Agency for Fiscal Oversight (FAFO) in state law.The CFO’s legislative proposal: Codifies the “Florida Agency for Fiscal Oversight” in Florida statute to increase accountability and transparency in local government and make this effort a long-term, permanent initiative. Requires both state and local government employees to complete FAFO training on how to report waste, fraud, and abuse. Requires each local government to submit an annual Financial Efficiency Report. Grants government employees, contractors, subcontractors, and taxpayers whistleblower protection if they contact DFS to report waste, fraud and abuse of taxpayer dollars. Allows DFS to pursue financial penalties from local governments if they don’t respond to inquiries promptly, including by withholding any state funds until they do. Obligates local governments to upload all government contracts into the state’s FACTS system or something similar that is searchable and indexed. Codifies the ability of Florida’s CFO to recommend the removal of any elected official who is found to have committed financial abuse, malfeasance or misfeasance. Requires DFS to audit local governments if they propose to raise taxes via referendum.”My legislative proposal will codify much-needed reforms that will positively impact future generations. Government grows when people stop watching, and bureaucrats stop caring. Through my proposal, we will ensure that someone is always watching how your hard-earned tax dollars are spent,” Ingoglia said in a new press release.