TAMPA, Fla. — CFO Blaise Ingoglia held a press conference in Tampa on Wednesday to announce proposed legislation to codify the Florida Agency of Fiscal Oversight (FAFO), which he said would increase transparency and accountability in local government spending.
The CFO said his office has identified more than $1.86 billion in wasteful or excessive spending across 11 local governments in one year, saying cities and counties across Florida are "spending wastefully and excessively."
The proposal would make FAFO permanent, which Ingoglia said should be a permanent safeguard because "protecting taxpayers should not have an expiration date."
" We want to codify the Florida Agency Fiscal Oversight, Florida statutes to increase accountability and transparency in local government and make this effort a long-term term permanent addition."
Ingoglia said the plan also includes whistleblower protections for government employees, contractors and taxpayers who report fraud, waste, or abuse.
He also emphasized his office will expose overspending "regardless of whether you are a blue city or county or a red city or county."
WATCH PRESS CONFERENCE HERE
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