Blaise Ingoglia says more than $470 million in Miami-Dade spending is wasteful

Miami, Florida – Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia is once again taking aim at local government spending, this time identifying more than $470 million in what he describes as unnecessary and excessive expenditures within Miami-Dade County’s proposed 2025-2026 budget.

The announcement, made this week, marks the second consecutive year that Ingoglia has publicly challenged the county’s financial priorities. Last year, his office flagged more than $302 million in spending from the county’s General Fund Budget that it argued could be eliminated without affecting essential public services. According to the latest findings, the amount of questionable spending has grown significantly.

Officials with the Florida Agency of Fiscal Oversight (FAFO) say their review of the upcoming budget uncovered roughly $470 million that could be classified as excessive or wasteful. The agency is urging Miami-Dade leaders to remove those items entirely and instead use the savings to provide meaningful property tax relief for local homeowners.

Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia said, “In Fiscal Year 2025-2026 alone, Miami-Dade County excessively and wastefully spent $470 million in taxpayer funds and over the last three years they have excessively and wastefully spent more than $800 million, showing that local governments won’t stop spending unless they are forced to. That is why property tax reform is necessary, and the voters have the opportunity to vote on it in November. Let’s make Florida more affordable.”

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The figures released by FAFO suggest that the issue extends well beyond a single budget cycle. Over the last three years, Miami-Dade County has accumulated more than $807.3 million in spending that the agency considers avoidable. During that same period, the county’s overall budget reportedly grew by more than $1.07 billion.

At the same time, population growth has not kept pace with that increase in spending. According to the report, Miami-Dade’s population expanded by 5.72%, adding 154,248 residents. The agency calculated that for every family of four moving into the county, the local budget increased by nearly $28,000, a comparison intended to illustrate the gap between growth and government spending.

Ingoglia and fiscal watchdog groups argue that trimming the identified expenditures could translate into real savings for residents. FAFO estimates that Miami-Dade County could reduce its property tax millage rate by 0.83 mills while maintaining all core public services.

If those recommendations were adopted, homeowners could see noticeable reductions in their annual tax bills. A property with a taxable value of $500,000 could save approximately $413 each year, while homes valued at $600,000 and $700,000 could save an estimated $496 and $579 annually, respectively.

The announcement also drew support from taxpayer advocacy organizations, which have long called for tighter oversight of local government budgets.

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Greg Ungru, Americans for Prosperity, said, “Thank you, CFO Ingoglia, for continuing the fight for Florida’s taxpayers and bringing transparency to the citizens of Miami-Dade County. We must ensure that our local officials remain fiscally responsible and good stewards of taxpayer dollars.”

The latest report is part of a broader statewide effort by Ingoglia to review government spending and highlight what his office considers unnecessary costs. According to the CFO, more than $3.1 billion in excessive and wasteful spending has been uncovered across Florida through these reviews.

As discussions over property tax reform continue, Ingoglia says his office will keep examining local government budgets and pushing for changes that, in his view, could ease the financial burden on Florida families while encouraging greater fiscal accountability.