State officials are taking a closer look at how local governments across Southwest Florida are managing taxpayer dollars.The Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, has sent formal requests for financial records to agencies in Lee County, Cape Coral, and Fort Myers, seeking transparency around public spending.Gulf Coast News first broke the story, revealing that DOGE is particularly interested in community-level budget details. Now, we’ve learned the agency may be scrutinizing some local departments more than others.According to Lee County Clerk of Courts Kevin Karnes, the focus appears to be on the size and complexity of each agency’s budget. “I think it’s all about how big a potential budget is and how much is coming in versus going out,” Karnes said. When asked if the Lee County Sheriff’s Office may get looked at more closely than others because of its size and budget amount, Karnes said, “Logic would tell you he has more contracts than other constitutional officers,” adding that a large budget doesn’t necessarily indicate wrongdoing.Karnes, who also oversees the county auditor’s office, said DOGE is investigating potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement. Inspired by the state’s initiative, he has launched his own local version of DOGE and plans to push for cuts in next year’s budget. He estimates the county has already saved close to a million dollars through efficiency efforts.”I’ll hopefully have good news for the community in the next several weeks,” Karnes added.Lee County Commissioner Brian Hamman expressed full support for the state’s transparency efforts.”We’ll give them anything they ask for. We love DOGE. We love the idea they’re making government more efficient,” Hamman said.Similar DOGE letters were sent to officials in Cape Coral and Fort Myers. Fort Myers Mayor Kevin Anderson confirmed that the city received two separate requests. He said DOGE is reviewing how contracts are managed and how departments spend money. Confident in his administration’s practices, Anderson described the city manager as a fiscal conservative who “will squeeze every penny out of every dollar.”Meanwhile, Florida’s chief financial officer, Blaise Ingoglia, said Thursday his office has heard of local governments altering or hiding data in response to these requests. “We will not tolerate hiding spending from government servers,” Ingoglia stated. He did not specify which counties may be under suspicion.DOGE’s audits have primarily targeted Democratic strongholds like St. Petersburg, Gainesville, Miami-Dade, and Orange County. Ingoglia revealed that many investigations are prompted by whistleblowers.”In many cases, government workers in these offices are calling his office to report waste and abuse,” he said.It remains unclear whether any Lee County government employees have filed similar complaints, but local officials say they are prepared to cooperate with any review.DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.
State officials are taking a closer look at how local governments across Southwest Florida are managing taxpayer dollars.
The Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, has sent formal requests for financial records to agencies in Lee County, Cape Coral, and Fort Myers, seeking transparency around public spending.
Gulf Coast News first broke the story, revealing that DOGE is particularly interested in community-level budget details. Now, we’ve learned the agency may be scrutinizing some local departments more than others.
According to Lee County Clerk of Courts Kevin Karnes, the focus appears to be on the size and complexity of each agency’s budget.
“I think it’s all about how big a potential budget is and how much is coming in versus going out,” Karnes said.
When asked if the Lee County Sheriff’s Office may get looked at more closely than others because of its size and budget amount, Karnes said, “Logic would tell you he has more contracts than other constitutional officers,” adding that a large budget doesn’t necessarily indicate wrongdoing.
Karnes, who also oversees the county auditor’s office, said DOGE is investigating potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement.
Inspired by the state’s initiative, he has launched his own local version of DOGE and plans to push for cuts in next year’s budget. He estimates the county has already saved close to a million dollars through efficiency efforts.
“I’ll hopefully have good news for the community in the next several weeks,” Karnes added.
Lee County Commissioner Brian Hamman expressed full support for the state’s transparency efforts.
“We’ll give them anything they ask for. We love DOGE. We love the idea they’re making government more efficient,” Hamman said.
Similar DOGE letters were sent to officials in Cape Coral and Fort Myers. Fort Myers Mayor Kevin Anderson confirmed that the city received two separate requests. He said DOGE is reviewing how contracts are managed and how departments spend money. Confident in his administration’s practices, Anderson described the city manager as a fiscal conservative who “will squeeze every penny out of every dollar.”
Meanwhile, Florida’s chief financial officer, Blaise Ingoglia, said Thursday his office has heard of local governments altering or hiding data in response to these requests.
“We will not tolerate hiding spending from government servers,” Ingoglia stated.
He did not specify which counties may be under suspicion.
DOGE’s audits have primarily targeted Democratic strongholds like St. Petersburg, Gainesville, Miami-Dade, and Orange County. Ingoglia revealed that many investigations are prompted by whistleblowers.
“In many cases, government workers in these offices are calling his office to report waste and abuse,” he said.
It remains unclear whether any Lee County government employees have filed similar complaints, but local officials say they are prepared to cooperate with any review.
DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.