Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia is calling out Miami-Dade County for what he describes as excessive spending in its upcoming budget, urging local officials to cut the waste and pass the savings directly to taxpayers.
During an announcement in Miami today, the CFO reported finding over $470 million in “excessive, wasteful spending” within the county’s 2025-2026 budget. This follows a similar review last year that flagged more than $302 million in the county’s General Fund. According to Ingoglia’s office, the county has overspent by a total of $807,361,670.15 over the past three years.
“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,” Ingoglia said. “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.”
Data from the Florida Agency of Fiscal Oversight shows that the county’s budget recently increased by $1,078,578,000. While Miami-Dade’s population did grow by 154,248 people—a 5.72% increase—the agency noted that the spending outpaced the growth. Specifically, for every family of four that moved to the county, the budget increased by $27,969.96.
To address the issue, Ingoglia is recommending that Miami-Dade County reduce its millage rate by 0.83 mills, a move he stated would not impact any fundamental services provided to residents. If the county applies this recommendation, a homeowner with a taxable property value of $500,000 would save $413 per year. Those with homes valued at $600,000 would save $496 annually, and homes valued at $700,000 would see a savings of $579.
The announcement drew support from taxpayer advocacy groups.
“Thank you, CFO Ingoglia, for continuing the fight for Florida’s taxpayers and bringing transparency to the citizens of Miami-Dade County,” said Greg Ungru of Americans for Prosperity. “We must ensure that our local officials remain fiscally responsible and good stewards of taxpayer dollars.”
The review of Miami-Dade is part of an ongoing statewide effort by the CFO. To date, Ingoglia has reported uncovering more than $3.1 billion in excessive and wasteful spending across Florida.
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