A report from the Florida Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) claims a review of Hillsborough County, Pinellas County and Manatee County found examples of "excessive spending," citing DEI initiatives and other expenses.
Read full report from DOGE:
Florida DOGE Report Jan 2026 by Tampa Bay 28
According to the report, DOGE has reviewed 13 jurisdictions so far, which "identified broad themes in local government spending growth and a wide array of specific examples of inefficient or excessive spending.”
The report claims the review found evidence of "widespread DEI and ESG activities, both past and present, that contravene state policy."
The report said a review of Hillsborough County found "excessive spending" in employee pay increases, personnel spending, vehicle allowances, film subsidies, grants, and performing arts center purchases.
DOGE's report also highlights alleged "DEI examples" of excessive spending in Hillsborough County, including "two senior executives whose high salaries appear attributable to DEI roles," DEI training, and a Diversity Advisory Council.
The report said the review of Pinellas County found "excessive spending" in areas like homelessness services, enterprise IT systems, sports fees tied to Rays negotiations, terminal leave payouts and contracts.
According to DOGE, the review found "DEI examples" of excessive spending, which included "$75,000 in annual sponsorship for a 'Pride' festival that markets overwhelmingly in the region and in the state of Florida."
For Manatee County, the report said, "Florida DOGE’s review of Manatee County also found that the county has done a better job than many Florida jurisdictions at eliminating previous-extant DEI programs and has taken recent steps to eliminate wasteful grant spending."
The report still said Manatee County should decrease spending on major capital expenditures and review "commitments to supposed 'climate-related'policies and activities that do not provide value."
The report also highlighted rising operational costs and said records from after 2024 "indicate that 55 supervisors have attended Instructor-Led Training on Diversity & Inclusion for Management."
DOGE said the report said the reviews rely on public records, individual and statewide data requests, on-site evaluations, and 'advancing technologies' which include AI.
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