Gov. Ron DeSantis's Department of Government Efficiency is conducting an audit of the Orange County government.
DOGE is sending staff to collect data and interview employees next Tuesday and Wednesday.
The governor said last week that he's looking for "excessive spending patterns" in select counties or cities that haven't complied with the state's reporting demands. Those include Gainesville and Broward, Manatee and now Orange counties.
DOGE and Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia sent a letter demanding access to documents, data and people. It lists contracts, salaries, utility transfers and property management records. It focuses in on diversity, equity and inclusion programs; environmental expenditures; traffic calming devices; bike lanes and trails; and homeless services.
The letter cites a $330 million increase in property taxes over five years. That increase comes from growth and rising property values -- the county-wide tax rate has remained the same.
In a prepared statement, Mayor Jerry Demings said Orange County plans to "fully cooperate." He said the county has grown by 81,000 people since 2020. That puts additional cost demands on public services.
County Commissioner Kelly Martinez Semrad says there's a "perfect storm" of state demands and unsustainable growth.
"And now you have a state government that is doing overreach and is … mandating how we use our land, mandating that we do IGSA and do federal enforcement here on local grounds. You know, being DOGE'd," she said. "It all comes together in a very problematic way for Orange County taxpayers."
IGSA -- the county's longstanding Intergovermental Service Agreement with the federal government -- allows the jail to be used an ICE detention facility.
It's ironic, she said, that the state government is reaching out to local county governments to tell them their being audited by DOGE.
"The reason why that's so ironic is that they just spent $450 million taxpayer money to build Alligator Alcatraz," she said, referring to the state's name for an Immigration and Customs our ability to tax the tourists who don't live here, to contribute back to our local economy."
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