TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Former state Sen. Annette Taddeo is officially running for Florida chief financial officer, launching a campaign centered on government accountability, rising insurance costs and the use of taxpayer dollars.
The South Florida Democrat entered the race Monday, arguing the statewide office should serve as an independent watchdog for Floridians.
"What I can tell you is that I’m just as fed up as Floridians are," Taddeo said. "We have had no checks and balances pretty much for almost 30 years or more."
Taddeo is challenging Republican CFO Blaise Ingoglia, a former state senator whom Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed to the position last summer. Ingoglia has spent months touring Florida and auditing local governments as part of an effort to identify what he describes as wasteful spending.
Those audits have also become part of the Republican case for a proposed property tax overhaul heading to voters in November. The measure would expand the homestead exemption for non-school property taxes to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028.
Ingoglia has argued local governments can absorb the revenue reductions by cutting unnecessary spending.
"The numbers work," Ingoglia said in an interview last week. "The only people who are complaining about it are the people who actually have to cut back. We are on the side of the taxpayers here, right? We’re not on the side of a government who thinks that you are an endless ATM."
Taddeo said the state should also apply greater scrutiny to its own spending. She specifically criticized Ingoglia for not auditing the costs associated with the Everglades immigration detention facility known as "Alligator Alcatraz."
"What he's been doing is not doing his job," Taddeo said. "He's not looking out for us when he won't audit a million dollars a day that we're spending on Alligator Alcatraz."
Taddeo also questioned whether lawmakers moved too quickly on the proposed property tax changes. She said homeowners need relief but warned the plan could shift costs rather than meaningfully reduce them.
"For the homeowners who think all of a sudden, no, this is great, I'm not going to have to pay real estate taxes — well, if they take it out of one, they're going to take it out of another one,” Taddeo said. "The fact is, we still need certain resources."
Ingoglia's campaign defended his record and sought to frame the race around the differences between Republicans and Democrats on affordability.
"CFO Blaise Ingoglia, endorsed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, is fighting to make Florida affordable by delivering lower property taxes and holding insurance companies accountable,” campaign manager John Wallace said in a statement. “We look forward to a spirited Democrat primary to determine the nominee for the party of higher taxes and unaffordability."
Before facing Ingoglia in the general election, Taddeo must compete for the Democratic nomination against Earle Ford, an attorney and former IRS employee who is also emphasizing accountability and consumer protections.
Ford has argued the state should prioritize the rising cost of homeowners insurance over property tax cuts. He is calling for stronger enforcement, greater transparency surrounding rate increases and closer scrutiny of insurance-company affiliates.
"The state needs to be the referee and needs to be the gatekeeper and make sure everything is on the up and up," Ford said.
Ford has described the property tax debate as a distraction from the insurance premiums squeezing homeowners. Taddeo has also questioned whether state leaders are doing enough to hold insurance companies accountable when policyholders struggle to collect after storms and other disasters.
Candidate qualifying is underway this week. Florida's primary election is scheduled for Aug. 18, with the general election set for Nov. 3.
