Florida’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) will be in Pensacola to audit the City of Pensacola next week, August 18-19. The Florida DOGE was established by Gov. Ron DeSantis to uncover governmental waste at the municipal level.
However, the question that has floated around Pensacola since we broke the story yesterday is why target Pensacola, a city of less than 54,000 people.
Other cities specifically targeted by Florida DOGE are much larger:
- Jacksonville: 1.01 million
- Orlando: 334,854
- St. Petersburg:267,102
- Gainesville: 148,720
Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves doesn’t appear to be concerned. “We appreciate the significant investments made by Gov. DeSantis and his team in Pensacola, and we look forward to working with the DOGE team on their efforts and our shared mission to be good stewards of the taxpayer dollar.”
Three Theories
1. Mayor Reeves’ Endorsement of Byron Donalds
In June, the mayor officially endorsed Congressman Byron Donalds for governor, adding another high-profile endorsement to Donalds’ campaign that already enjoys President Donald Trump’s backing.
- Speaking to reporters, Mayor Reeves made his support clear and personal: “I consider Byron and Erika Donalds friends. I’ve gotten to know her a lot this year in Leadership Florida, and she’s doing amazing things in education. I think Byron is a great guy who’s earned everything that he’s gotten. Just an impressive family. And yeah, he has my full support. I think he’s an amazing guy and I think he’ll be a great governor.”
First Lady Casey DeSantis is still being mentioned as a possible candidate for governor in 2026.
2. Community Pushback Over DeSantis UWF Trustee Appointments
Gov. DeSantis hasn’t been pleased that Save Our UWF and others have pushed back against his takeover of the University of West Florida. He has only made one appearance in Pensacola this year, and it was to defend Hope Florida and blast UWF at Pensacola State College.
3. Salzman Put Pensacola on DOGE’s Radar
Earlier this month, Rep. Michelle Salzman bragged on Facebook that she had asked Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier and Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia to audit Escambia County, paying close attention to the Escambia Children’s Trust and the Escambia County School Board. Salzman has inadvertently – or intentionally – put her “favorite mayor” on their radar.
CFO Holds “Chilling” Presser
The Tampa Bay Times reports Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia announced at a press conference on Monday that his Department of Government Efficiency team has found “egregious examples of waste, fraud and abuse.” He warned local officials that this is a “long-term” effort, not a temporary initiative.
- Tampa Bay area officials have pushed back, with Pinellas County commissioners arguing the reviews don’t account for unfunded state mandates and grants when examining budget increases. The DOGE team cited a $220 million property tax increase in Pinellas since 2020.
Ingoglia said he and Gov. Ron DeSantis agreed on eliminating property taxes on primary residences statewide. However, DeSantis vetoed spending $1 million for state economists to study the effects of eliminating or significantly reducing property taxes. The CFO said he expects a constitutional amendment to eliminate property taxes to be on the November 2026 ballot.
- The state plans to create an anonymous tip line for reporting wasteful spending and warned local governments against changing terminology around diversity programs to hide spending. Ingoglia emphasized the team has subpoena power and will complete reports within 60 days of each review.
Featured Photo by saeed karimi on Unsplash