Florida CFO: Orange County is overtaxing residents by nearly $200M

According to Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, Orange County is spending nearly $200 million more than it needs to.

Ingoglia offered this assessment of the county’s finances Sept. 15 following the state’s audit.

When accounting for population growth and inflation, Orange County’s current General Fund Budget is $190,643,653 higher than it should be, Ingoglia said.

“This money belongs in the hands of taxpayers, not the bureaucrats who have proven to be fiscally irresponsible,” he said. “Orange County is wastefully and excessively spending nearly $200 million in taxpayer funds, and it is high time that the taxpayers are armed with the information that they need to hold their locally elected officials accountable. The people of Florida are sick and tired of the wasteful spending of tax dollars.”

According to the state’s findings, Orange County’s General Fund has increased by $559,151,494, or 53.62%, since 2020. At the same time, the population of Orange County has increased by 79,000 residents. This means that for each new resident who moved to Orange County, the General Fund increased by $7,074, and for a family of four, it increased by $28,296, Ingoglia said.

Orange County also has hired 661 new employees since 2020, and the average wage for a local government worker has increased 24.5% over the last four years, not including benefits. That increase outpaces both the private sector and state government workers in the area,” Ingoglia said. 

On average, Orange County is overtaxing their residents by $148 per person and could reduce their millage rate by 0.86 mils without impacting services provided to residents, he said.

Jerry Pierce, founder and owner of Restaurant Equipment World said: “As an Orange County resident, the burden of property taxes has grown exponentially, not only for me but also for my employees. I am grateful to CFO Ingoglia for his commitment to keeping Florida affordable for families and cutting government waste.” 

Ingoglia serves a member of the Florida Cabinet and the head of the Florida Department of Financial Services.