PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — A 100-page DOGE audit targeting government overspending has labeled Palm Beach County as the biggest offender in Florida, but county leaders are challenging the report's accuracy and demanding transparency from state officials.
WATCH BELOW: 'There has been zero transparency from the CFO's office,' Joseph Abruzzo says during board meeting
Palm Beach County Administrator Joseph Abruzzo is firing back after meeting with WPTV two weeks ago, calling for CFO Blaise Ingoglia to provide proof of $300 million in alleged wasteful spending.
"This would not hold muster without question under any accounting authority," Abruzzo said.
Two weeks after requesting a transparency on the numbers, Abruzzo said the CFO has remained silent.
WATCH BELOW: $344M overspending claim 'not transparent,' county administrator says
"The CFO did not come sit down with us. He had a bombastic press conference and had no justification to the number, which is why we are here spinning our wheels trying to figure out what to do and how to do it," Abruzzo said.
When WPTV first uncovered that DOGE would audit Palm Beach County in August, then-Mayor Maria Marino expressed optimism about the process.
"What I'm looking at right now from DOGE is a roadmap of where we go in the future," Marino said at the time.
However, of the 100 pages of DOGE findings, only four pages included Palm Beach County with no clear roadmap, despite the county having over 1,000 pages of expenses and revenue in its budget.
WATCH BELOW: County official disputes $344M waste claim from state
"I don't think we need to be guided by something that doesn't give us any guidance," Marino said.
The frustration among commissioners is clear.
"I'm having an extremely hard time taking this report serious. I think it's a disrespect to the people of Palm Beach County but more so to the people of the state of Florida," Commissioner Bobby Powell said.
Abruzzo defended the county's salary structure, addressing criticism about government compensation.
"You have deputy administrators and administrators out in California and Texas making $400,000-$600,000. We pay our staff... this is very important. You have to really look at the cost of living in the community you're representing and we're nearly $40,000 below our median income of what we pay our staff," Abruzzo said. "I often say to them over and over again what they're doing is true public service because I know many of them can make more money in the private sector, but it's maintaining that staff that is so critical to making us what we are today and operationally the premier county in Florida if not the United States."
Commissioner Marci Woodward called for the county to conduct its own audit, expressing disappointment with the DOGE report's accuracy.
"I wanted accuracy. I wanted them to tell us specifically what we've done and this is not it. This is disappointing," Woodward said.
"We can do something like this but better and accurate," Woodward said.
WATCH BELOW: 'What I'm looking for right now from DOGE, is a roadmap of where we go in the future,' Palm Beach County Mayor Maria G. Marino tells WPTV's Joel Lopez
Woodward questioned the report's methodology, particularly regarding housing and economic development spending.
"I'm trying to do quick math here and disingenuous is the only word I can come up with right now that we're looking at this chart with these numbers. At the very first one, housing and economic development, when I saw it my first question was we have a $219 million increase. How much of that was the housing fund and you've already answered that on the next page: $109 million," she said. "That was a voter referendum that was voted on by the people of this county to do this, so $109 million of that is what the people chose. Now whether or not this board agreed, that was a 60%-plus vote in this county, so these are the types of things that I think we need to have a better understanding for because all of us are gonna have to answer for this when we go out and talk to our citizens."
The CFO's office told WPTV in recent weeks:
"If Abruzzo spent more time scrutinizing his own spending and less time criticizing the CFO, he could find meaningful ways to provide tax relief to the residents and business owners who call Palm Beach County home."
During Wednesday night's commission meeting, Abruzzo emphasized the lack of communication from the state level.
"There has been zero transparency from the CFO's office, completely none. You say these numbers? Well sit down with us, show us, let us explain our budget process to you, let us explain our expenditures to you," he said.
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