PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Inside the Palm Beach County Administration Building, auditors from the Florida Department of Financial Services’ DOGE team are looking through the county books.
Last week in Tampa, Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia spelled out what the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) teams expect to accomplish.
WATCH: What DOGE is looking at in Palm Beach County
“Because when local governments say that they cannot cut, we’re gonna show them what places they can cut,” said Ingoglia at an impromptu news conference Aug. 13.
I wanted you to know what those places in Palm Beach County are.
The letter to the county, co-signed by Ingoglia, singled out Mounts Botanical Garden, which is a nonprofit receiving county funds.
Auditors are asking for “all actions taken in support of the policy for diversity and inclusion at Mounts Botanical Garden.”
I went to Mounts for a comment on the DOGE audit. Staffers declined.
Palm Beach County
Sheriff's office requests more than $1 billion for budget
According to the letter, auditors are also looking at county spending related to the Green New Deal, including purchases of battery-electric vehicles (EVs), EV infrastructure, and solar power systems.
DOGE auditors were met with protests in St. Petersburg, but in Palm Beach County, Mayor Maria Marino is pleased with the visit.
“We fully welcome DOGE’s review of our operations,” said Mayor Marino in a statement posted on the county’s Facebook page. “Every government operation, every program, every service should be evaluated for efficiency, effectiveness and impact.”
READ MAYOR MARINO'S DOGE STATEMENT:
"We're very transparent and want people to know if there are areas where we can improve. We certainly will want to improve and be as efficient as we can,” added Commissioner Gregg Weiss.
I learned that the DOGE auditors are meeting in a seventh-floor conference room in the County Administration Building. I went there for a comment but a sign that read, “Authorized Personnel Only,” kept me out of the closed-door audit.
Region St Lucie County
Commissioners welcome DOGE overview because 'there's definitely waste'
And the state’s CFO seems to want to keep governments from knowing what auditors are looking for.
“Then everyone else who’s on the list for audits and the reviews will then try to change things and make it harder for us over there,” said Blaise Ingoglia in Tampa. “So, we’re not going to give any examples, but I can assure you they are there.”
County Commissioner Gregg Weiss says no matter what the state DOGE audits turn up, the findings cannot compel county workers to be fired.
The state’s Department of Financial Services says DOGE audit results are expected in about two months.