TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida’s new chief financial officer took office Monday, promising to go after any government not spending tax dollars wisely.
Gov. Ron DeSantis swore in State Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, R-Brooksville, at a ceremony at noon in Tallahassee.
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DeSantis called Ingoglia “a new sheriff in town” who will harness the CFO’s authority to audit municipal and county governments.
“You are going to see these audits commence very quickly. And all I can say is any of the big spenders in these local governments that are not watching tax dollars wisely, you better buckle up," DeSantis said.
Ingoglia, 54, is taking over as CFO after Jimmy Patronis left the job to campaign and win U.S. House District 1 in a special election earlier this year.
Ingoglia is a firebrand conservative who has been a DeSantis ally in the Florida Senate, advancing many of the governor’s priorities.
Ingoglia served in the Florida House from 2014 to 2022 before winning his Senate seat in 2022.
His Senate seat, District 11, covers Sumter, Citrus and Hernando counties and part of Pasco County. It’s now listed as vacant on the Florida Senate website.
In his time in the Senate, Ingoglia sponsored several pieces of legislation to limit local government, including increasing homestead exemptions and instituting term limits for county commissioners and school board members. He supports repealing property taxes, a DeSantis priority.
He’s long styled himself a champion against what he calls frivolous government spending. His handle on X.com is “GovGoneWild.”
Ingoglia said he was going to fight hard for taxpayers to continue DeSantis’ vision for Florida.
“DC of what Florida is. We have become the shining light for every other state out there. When Florida does something other states listen, they try to copy and emulate. Florida is leading, and I look forward to continue to lead," Ingoglia said.
In addition to overseeing Florida’s finances and the treasury, the CFO also oversees the agency that oversees Florida’s insurance industry, funeral and cemetery services in the state, and is the state fire marshal. The CFO also sits on the Florida Cabinet.