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Florida DOGE auditing Manatee County

Florida DOGE auditing Manatee County

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Community News, Manatee County.

MANATEE COUNTY – The Florida Department of Government Ef­ficiency (DOGE) is auditing Manatee County’s finances.

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the audit during his July 24 visit to Bra­denton, during which he mentioned the steep property tax increases in Manatee County in recent years.

The same day, Manatee County Commission Chairman George Kruse received a letter from DOGE that began by saying, “The Florida DOGE team, in partnership with Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia and the Office of Policy and Budget, 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.”

County Administrator Charlie Bishop was copied as a recipient of the DOGE letters. Hillsborough County, Pinellas County, the city of Orlando and the city of Jacksonville are among the other Florida counties and cities that recently received similar DOGE letters.

In addition to paying county property taxes, Anna Maria, Bra­denton Beach and Holmes Beach property owners also pay annual city property taxes at a much lower millage rate than the county’s millage rate. Property owners in Bradenton, Palmetto and the northern portion of Longboat Key also pay city and county property taxes. Property owners in unincorporated areas, including Cortez, don’t pay city property taxes.

“Having entrusted their governments with the power to tax, the citizens of Florida have a right to expect that their elected officials will spend the collected funds responsibly, not recklessly, and on truly necessary programs,” the DOGE letter says. “Through the DOGE effort, Gov. DeSantis has charged us to identify and report on this type of excessive spending at the county and municipal level.”

The letter also says, “We hereby request access to your county’s physical premises, data systems and responsive personnel on Aug. 5 and Aug. 6, at the county administration building and such other locations that you identify as necessary to comply with these requests. You should note that financial penalties may accrue for your failure to comply with each of the following requests for access on those dates.”

The letter is signed by Ingoglia, DOGE Team Leader Eric Soskin and Office of Policy and Budget Director Leda Kelly.

On July 31, county commissioners voted 5-1 in favor of setting the county’s tentative millage rate at the same 6.0826 mills in effect for the current fiscal year. Subject to revision before final adoption in September, Manatee County’s $2.54 billion 2026 fiscal year budget currently includes $1.38 billion in newly generated revenues, including property tax revenues. The $2.54 billion total also includes debts and other financial obligations being carried over from the 2025 fiscal year that ends on Sept. 30.

DOGE requests

The two-page DOGE letter was accompanied by six pages of specific requests for detailed financial information, including capital expenditures, operating costs and funding sources for the county-contracted Gulf Islands Ferry service that operates between downtown Bradenton and Anna Maria Island, the Riverwalk Day Dock in downtown Bradenton and the Bradenton Beach Pier in Bradenton Beach that cur­rently serve as ferry stops. Because of the hurricane damage that Hurricane Milton inflicted on the City Pier in 2024, ferry service in Anna Maria remains suspended until a new City Pier walkway is built.

The DOGE letter also requests in­formation about the county’s property management efforts and the purchase or sale of any public-owned property, specifically, the county’s recently an­nounced $24 million purchase of an existing building in Lakewood Ranch to be used for expanded county govern­ment operations. The July 24 letter was received before county commissioners’ unanimous July 29 decision to buy the 39-acre Mixon Fruit Farms property and wedding venue in east Bradenton for $13.5 million.

DOGE also seeks detailed informa­tion about:

  • county procurement processes and policies;
  • contracts awarded in excess of $10,000 and the vendors awarded those contracts;
  • compensation paid to county employees;
  • the county utilities system;
  • the county’s diversity, equity and inclusion programs and efforts;
  • county expenditures related to climate change, emissions reduction or carbon reduction, including the purchase of battery-powered electric vehicles;
  • grants and matching grants received by the county;
  • the county’s rules and policies re­garding government vehicle allowances, including a list of all county personnel making use of a take-home vehicle;
  • the county’s Government Relations department, including job descriptions and departmental expenditures to date;
  • project descriptions, budgeted costs, actual costs and cost overruns or savings for county transportation-related capital projects that began, remain ongoing or have been completed since Jan. 1, 2023;
  • the installation, initial costs and maintenance costs and estimated life cycle for all traffic calming devices, included but not limited to speed tables, speed humps, raised intersections, curb extensions and chokers; and
  • homeless services provided by the county, the effectiveness of those efforts and any grant funds provided to other agencies that assist the homeless.
Holmes Beach mayor responds to DOGE letter

Holmes Beach mayor responds to DOGE letter

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Community News, Holmes Beach.

HOLMES BEACH – Island leaders are under a deadline to respond to a letter they received this month from the new state DOGE task force, and the Holmes Beach mayor has already taken action.

Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order on Feb. 24 that created the Florida State Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE) task force. On March 18, the Office of the Governor’s new DOGE task force electronically transmitted a two-page letter to the cities of Holmes Beach, Anna Maria, Bradenton Beach and all other Florida municipalities regarding their financial condition.

Addressed to “Dear Local Official,” the letter begins by stating, “Pursuant to Executive Order 25-44, the Executive Office of the Governor has established an EOG DOGE Team which will use advanced technology to identify, review and report on unnecessary spending within county and municipal govern­ments and recommend legislative reforms to promote efficiency, maximize productivity and eliminate waste in state and local government. These efforts are focused on ensuring fiscal responsibility throughout Florida.

“In addition to assessing your municipality’s publicly available information over the coming weeks and months, the EOG DOGE Team is also assessing compliance with the financial management requirements set forth in section 218.503, Florida Statutes. This provision outlines the circumstances under which a local governmental entity is deemed to be in financial emergency or distress, trig­gering necessary corrective actions,” the DOGE letter says.

“To fulfill our oversight role, and in accordance with article IV, section 1(a) of the Florida Constitution, we respectfully request confirmation as to whether your municipality has encountered any instances of financial emergency or distress, including those listed in section 218.503(1), Florida Statutes, such as:

  • Failure to pay short-term loans or obligations when due as a result of lack of funds.
  • Failure to make debt service payments on bonds, loans or other debt instruments when due.
  • Failure to timely pay uncontested claims from creditors for more than 90 days due to lack of funds.
  • Failure to transfer taxes, Social Security contributions or retirement plan contributions as required by law.
  • An unreserved or total fund balance deficit in the general fund or any major operating fund that persists for two consecutive years.”

The letter says, “If your municipality has encountered any of these condi­tions since state fiscal year 2018-19, or anticipates potential financial distress in the next six months, please provide a written response detailing the specific circumstances, any corrective actions taken, a point of contact and any additional information relevant to compliance with statutory financial obligations.”

In closing, the DOGE letter says, “Please submit your response no later than April 8 to ensure timely review and, if necessary, assistance from state authorities. If we do not receive a response from you within 45 days, it will be presumed that your municipality is in possible statutory violation and in need of assistance. We appreciate your cooperation in maintaining the fiscal integrity of local governmental operations.”

The letter is signed, “Sincerely, EOG DOGE Team.”

Florida league of cities’ response

The following day, the Florida League of Cities (FLC) distributed an electronic letter to city officials that said, “We are reaching out to confirm that the letter your city received from the Executive Office of the Governor DOGE Team is legitimate and was sent to every municipality in Florida. The governor’s office has requested that each city respond within 45 days of receiving the letter.”

Holmes Beach mayor responds to DOGE letter
Gov. Ron DeSantis shared this graphic on social media when announcing the formation of the DOGE task force. – Gov. Ron DeSantis | Submitted

The FLC letter includes a draft response cities can use when submit­ting a response if the city can answer ‘No’ to all five questions posed in the DOGE letter and has not encountered any instances of financial emergency or distress.

The FLC draft response says, “Dear Executive Office of the Governor DOGE Team, This correspondence serves as [City Name]’s response to the financial review letter received from your office. After careful evalua­tion, we confirm that our municipality has not encountered any conditions of financial emergency or distress, as outlined in the letter, since the state fiscal year 2018-19. If additional information is required, please do not hesitate to contact us.”

In closing, the FLC letter says, “Please note: If a response is not received within 45 days, the governor’s office will presume that your municipality may be in possible statutory violation and in need of state assistance.”

Holmes beach response

On March 20, using the FLC draft response, Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth sent the following recom­mended response to the DOGE team: “This correspondence serves as the city of Holmes Beach’s response to the financial review letter received from your office. After careful evaluation, we confirm that our municipality has not encountered any conditions of financial emergency or distress, as outlined in the letter, since the state fiscal year 2018-19. If additional information is required, please do not hesitate to contact us.”