Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia blasted Palm Beach County leaders Tuesday, accusing them of spending taxpayer money “like drunken sailors” and claiming the county has racked up more than $1.2 billion in excessive spending since 2020.
Speaking at Palm Beach State College’s Boca Raton campus, Ingoglia said Palm Beach County overspent by $443 million in the current fiscal year alone, up from the $344 million figure he highlighted last year.
“Palm Beach County is drowning in excessive and wasteful spending,” Ingoglia said.
Using calculations developed by the Florida Agency for Fiscal Oversight, or FAFO, Ingoglia argued that the county’s budget has grown far faster than inflation and population growth. He said Palm Beach County’s general fund budget has increased by 65.26% since 2020, while the population has grown by just 5.11%.
According to the CFO, Palm Beach County has accumulated $1.23 billion in what his office considers unnecessary spending over the last six years.
“The only reason they got that extra money is because property values started spiking,” Ingoglia said. “Government took all of that extra money and just spent it.”
Ingoglia said most of the increase is tied to personnel costs, including hiring and raises. He argued the county could slash its property tax rate by nearly one mill without affecting essential services.
Under his proposal, owners of homes with taxable values of $600,000, $700,000 and $800,000 would save roughly $577, $673 and $769 annually, respectively.
During the event, Palm Beach County Administrator Verdenia Baker made an unexpected appearance and challenged Ingoglia’s claims.
Ingoglia insisted the effort is not political, saying his office has reviewed both Republican- and Democratic-leaning governments across Florida.
“This is not a partisan exercise,” he said. “This is a protecting-the-taxpayer exercise.”
The CFO said voters will have an opportunity to weigh in on property tax reform during the November election.
