State officials are continuing their push to reduce or eliminate property taxes by highlighting what they call wasteful spending.
The latest example came Thursday, when Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia said his audit showed Manatee County is spending $112 million more than they think it should.
It's part of the DeSantis administration's drive to reduce or eliminate property taxes, which is where most counties and cities get their money. He said during a news conference Thursday that the county is part of a broader statewide trend of overspending.
"In just five years, the local general fund budget has increased $269 million," he said. "That is an increase in their budget in just five years of 69%. The largest we have seen so far as we're doing these calculations."
Manatee is one of seven local governments targeted by his audits. Other targets include Orange County, Hillsborough County, Broward County and the city of Jacksonville.
They claim to have found over $1 billion dollars in “wasteful, excessive spending” in their current budgets.
"That is $1 billion that belong in the hands of you, the taxpayers, and not in the hands of government," Ingoglia said. "That is $1 billion of property tax cuts they could have given you this year and could have easily done that in our opinion with zero cuts to services."
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Manatee county spokeswoman Stephanie Garrison said the county has been actively looking at its spending.
"We were not previously aware of the details released by the Chief Financial Officer yesterday, but we welcome the opportunity to review the findings and better understand the analysis," she said. "In fact, Manatee County recently established a citizen-led Government Efficiency Liaison Committee which is dedicated to reviewing spending, streamlining operations, and reducing waste."
Their next meeting is Oct. 28.
The audits come as the Florida House has unveiled a list of proposals aimed at reducing the state's property tax.
Any reductions would ultimately have to be approved by voters during the 2026 elections. The property tax funds local governments, which have expressed concerns about their ability to provide critical services if cuts are made.
