by Dawn Kitterman

MANATEE COUNTY — Ahead of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Thursday press conference announcing that Manatee County Government is next up for financial audit by the State of Florida’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), representatives of DOGE sent a letter to county officials requesting access to the local government’s physical property, data systems, and other specific records and information.

The letter obtained by TBT is dated the same day as the last-minute press conference, which was held at the Manatee Performing Arts Center in Bradenton.

In February, DeSantis announced the launch of the state’s own EOG DOGE task force, enacted through Executive Order 25-44. The state’s DOGE is modeled after the federal government’s DOGE, formed under President Donald Trump, and will be tasked with identifying waste, fraud, and abuse in Florida’s local governments and municipalities, according to the Governor.

Joining DeSantis in Bradenton on Thursday was his newly appointed chief financial officer, Blaise Ingoglia, who will work with DeSantis’ DOGE task force on audits, including the one of Manatee County.

The homebuilder, former state senator, and former Florida GOP chairman is also a longtime political ally of DeSantis and was chosen by the Governor to serve as CFO over Sarasota Republican state Sen. Joe Gruters, who had received the endorsement of President Trump for the position. Ingoglia was sworn in as CFO on Monday, July 21.

The next day, on July 22, the state’s new CFO hit the ground running, appearing alongside DeSantis at a press conference in Fort Lauderdale where the pair announced that DOGE audits would soon commence in Broward County and the City of Gainesville. 

The two local governments were advised the night before the announcement that they had been identified as first up for review by DOGE, but Manatee County had already taken steps to invite the state’s DOGE team to come and conduct a review well before DeSantis’ announcement.

On April 15, Manatee County Commission Chairman George Kruse received unanimous support from his board (5-0 with two commissioners absent) to direct county staff to draft a letter to the Governor and an accompanying resolution voluntarily committing to participation in EOG DOGE review/audit as outlined by the Governor’s executive order.  

Three weeks later, on May 6, those drafted documents returned to the commissioners, where they were approved unanimously for execution (6-0 with Commissioner Mike Rahn absent).

Click here to access a PDF version of the May 6, 2025, BOCC letter to Gov. DeSantis.

Manatee County Resolution No. R-25-072 regarding support for Gov. DeSantis’ Executive Order 25-44, entitled “Ensuring Government Efficiency,” was also executed on May 6.

Among other things, the adopted resolution declares that the BOCC is “committed to fully and transparently participating in the EOG DOGE Team process,” as well as enacting the creation of a citizen liaison committee to “interface directly with the EOG DOGE team and county administration.”



During a BOCC meeting held on May 22, county staff updated commissioners on a letter the county received from the Office of the Governor and DOGE in response to the letter it sent earlier that month. The response included instructions for the county to provide copies of certain materials and records to DOGE with a less than two-week deadline for their production.

Commission Chair Kruse opened the discussion, expressing some concern with the timeline, noting that county financial and administration staff were actively in the middle of the annual budget session. In addition, Kruse also shared some frustration with the DOGE request coming before the board had been able to appoint citizen members to the liaison committee intended to provide members of the public to participate in the process.

Though some commissioners agreed with Kruse’s expressed concerns, county administration and staff said they were confident that they could fulfill DOGE’s request without disruption of the county’s budget process.

Having received those reassurances from staff, commissioners directed administration to fulfill the request by the set deadline.



During a June 17 BOCC meeting, staff confirmed that the requested records and documentation had been provided to DOGE, meeting the deadline. Commissioners also approved the next step in the creation of the Government Efficiency Liaison Committee.

The same week, the Manatee County Commission began its scheduled annual recess, which began on June 20 and runs through next week, with the commission reconvening on July 29.

The letter sent to county officials on Thursday provides an even lengthier and more specific list of records and documentation that state DOGE officials are requesting be produced by the first week of August.

“Dear Chairman Kruse,” the letter began. “The Florida DOGE team, in partnership with Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Blaise Ingoglia and the Office of Policy and Budget (OPB), have identified Manatee County for further review and an on-site visit. Although Manatee County has taken steps to reduce the county-wide millage rate in recent years, rising property values have pushed annual property tax collections up by over $200 million since 2019, according to your published budgets. This increased burden on property owners has helped Manatee County increase the county’s net annual budget by almost $600 million since 2020 – an increase in spending of 80% during that period.”

It continued, “In exercise of the Governor’s authority under Article 4, Section 1(a) of the Florida Constitution, the Chief Financial Officer’s authority under ss. 17.04 and 17.05 Florida Statutes, and the Office of Policy and Budget’s authority under the Laws of Florida, chapter 2025(199), Section 124, we hereby request access to your county’s physical premises, data systems, and responsive personnel, as detailed below our signatures, on August 5, 2025 and August 6, 2025 at the County Administration Building and such other locations that you identify as necessary to comply with these requests.”

The letter closed by stating, “Responses to the information requests may be provided at the time of the requested access, or may be provided electronically in advance by contacting us for access to a secure electronic portal to which documents and other types of data may be uploaded…. You should note that financial penalties may accrue for your failure to comply with each of the following requests for access on those dates.”

Attached to the letter was an eight-page list of requested records and documentation related to county procurement and contracting, personnel compensation, property management, utilities, and grants, among other subjects.

Several of the topics targeted for review were specific to Manatee County, including a request for information concerning the potential future purchase of the Mixon Fruit Farms property, records of expenditures to “repaint, decorate, or wrap” county vehicles, assessments and analyisis related to the approved purchase of a new county building in Lakewood Ranch, records of expenditure from renovations undertaken at the county administration building, and record of assessments related to maintenance and/or repairs to the county’s downtown parking garage.

The list also included requests for information and records regarding any programs or expenditures within the county government related to matters that DeSantis has publicly maligned, including any local government initiatives related to the Green New Deal and DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) or “so-called anti-racism,” as described by the letter.

One example of records requested related to DEI programs, includes, “Any actions taken to carry out the steps described in Manatee County’s 2020 Declaration of Racism as a Public Health Crisis, including, but not limited to: (1) “ensur[ing] antiracism principles across county leadership, staffing, and contracting”; (2) “support[ing] local, state, regional, and federal initiatives that advance efforts to dismantle systemic racism”; and (3) “[s]upport[ing] community efforts to amplify issues of racism.”

Click here to read the July 24 letter and list from DOGE to the county in its entirety.

Thursday’s Announcement

In announcing Manatee County as the next in line for DOGE examination, DeSantis cited increasing property tax receipts, which, according to DeSantis, have resulted in millions of increased revenue for the county.

“Property tax receipts have gone up 86% in the last six years in this county. And that’s $213 million in increased collection. Now, there has been growth in Manatee, but it’s been about 14%, and you compare that to the 86% of the property tax growth, there is some dissonance there,” he said.

“We’re looking at the expanding budget. Where’s the increase in spending? Where’s the justification for that? How is that being done, and what’s the basis, or where are the pathways to put taxpayers first and give them a seat at the table?” he added.

DeSantis also questioned the amount reported in county reserves, criticizing the local government for “bogarting” while also highlighting that the state has “maxed out” its rainy day fund.

“Look we run budget surpluses in Florida, we’ve maxed out the rainy day fund, but there’s also a point at which we shouldn’t just be bogarting money,” DeSantis said. “We want to give back, we want to give back to taxpayers.”

DeSantis did credit Manatee County for lowering its millage rates for residents.

During his comments, DeSantis also again pushed his desire to dramatically cut property taxes, something he hopes voters will support at the ballot box in 2026. Critics have warned this could cut local services, while others say the real issue—rising property insurance—is being ignored by the governor.

In the hours following the Governor’s comments and announcement, Commissioner George Kruse shared on social media that the DOGE audit of Manatee County was a “great opportunity” for Manatee County Government and local taxpayers. 

“Manatee County has lowered the millage three of the past four years. We were listed by the Florida House’s own Select Committee on Property Taxes as the 8th best county who is least reliant on your property taxes to fund services. However, we still voluntarily submitted our resolution to join Governor Ron DeSantis’s DOGE efforts back in April because we know we can never rest on our laurels or assume we know best – because we certainly do not,” Kruse wrote in his post.