Floridians who criticize their public officials should not have to fear armed state agents knocking at their front door.
But thatâs what happened to a Tampa Bay couple who sent a postcard to the stateâs chief financial officer. Their three-word message to CFO Blaise Ingoglia was pointed but not threatening. It said: âYou lack valuesâ and was signed by James OâGara, who is active in progressive political causes with his wife, Cathy.
What followed is a chilling example of the growing climate of political intimidation in this state.
Orlando Sentinel state capital reporter Jeffrey Schweers broke the story of how two state agents harassed a suburban couple after they sent a postcard that mildly criticized CFO Blaise Ingoglia.
A few weeks later, as the Orlando Sentinelâs Jeffrey Schweers reported, two men with guns strapped to their hips knocked on the OâGarasâ door the morning of Oct. 1.
They were wearing bulletproof vests with POLICE stenciled on them, but no agency name was visible. They said they wanted to talk to the OâGaras, who were getting ready to take their granddaughter to school.
âThey started right offâ
âThey started right off with, âDid you send a postcard?â They showed a picture of it, asked if this was it. They didnât give a reason why they were there,â OâGara said of the visit by the two men from the Department of Financial Services.
DFS is part of the CFOâs agency responsible for protecting taxpayers by investigating insurance fraud, among other things.
As the 77-year-old OâGara engaged them in conversation, things got scarier.
One agent made a casual reference to OâGaraâs military service, making it clear the couple had been investigated. After the men left and Cathy OâGara took her granddaughter to school, she saw two black SUVs parked on her street.
Florida CFO Blaise Ingoglia speaks to reporters in Orlando on Aug. 5, 2025. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda / Orlando Sentinel)
The state will not explain why Ingoglia, a politician who is known for a swaggering style, felt threatened by these two senior citizens.
Anybody researching them would discover two people passionate about politics but of no physical threat to anyone.
That makes the statement by DFS spokeswoman Sydney Booker laughable.
âWith political violence on the rise, ensuring the security of public figures and maintaining public safety is increasingly important,â Booker said. âWhile it is unfortunate that law enforcement must sometimes go the extra mile to ensure public safety, let it be known that it is a direct result of an increasingly hostile political environment.â
Straight-up harassment
Baloney. This frightening visit seems more of a case of straight-up harassment of people who dare to disagree with Ingoglia.
The unelected CFO owes the OâGaras an apology. Then he owes an explanation to the people of Florida as to why he chose to intimidate this family.
What made the postcard a threat? How many others have been investigated? How much did this ridiculous exercise cost? Will it happen again?
The questions are relevant because Ingoglia has anointed himself Floridaâs supreme arbiter of waste, fraud and abuse. He has gone city to city (including to Pembroke Pines), accusing local leaders of wasting tax dollars, as measured by a bogus calculation that compares their current spending with their pre-COVID budgets.
At most stops, Ingoglia has failed to point out specific significant overspending.
He mocked the placement of a hologram of Jacksonvilleâs mayor at the cityâs airport. He viciously tore into Orlandoâs poet laureate program. He accused Broward County of overspending by $170 million but questioned only $1.1 million â and got his facts wrong, the county claims.
How much did this cost?
It is valid to ask how much money Ingoglia wasted with the agentsâ early-morning visit to the OâGara home in Largo. A state employee database shows that DFS officers are paid between $63,000 and $111,000 a year.
This money was spent to intimidate and silence people whose only crime was in expressing their dislike of him.
It failed miserably â as an avalanche of contemptuous response to this stunt has proved.
Like all Americans, the OâGaras have the right and perhaps the responsibility to speak truth to power, just like comedian Jimmy Kimmel, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, and others who have been threatened by the powers that be.
Weâre proud when people take a stand in the face of such threats â and hope you are too.
If youâre angry about what happened here, donât be afraid to speak up. Put it on a postcard.
Ingoglia, Gov. Ron DeSantis and Attorney General James Uthmeier behave as if they have a monopoly on belittling and bullying political opponents.
It takes courage to protest, which is why leaders think they can crush opposition through blunt acts of intimidation.
The OâGaras are right: When it comes to free speech, you lack values, Mr. Ingoglia.
The Sun Sentinel Editorial Board consists of Opinion Editor Steve Bousquet, Deputy Opinion Editor Dan Sweeney, editorial writers Pat Beall and Martin Dyckman, and Executive Editor Gretchen Day-Bryant. To contact us, email at letters@sun-sentinel.com.
Originally Published: October 13, 2025 at 9:41 AM EDT