Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed an executive order establishing the Florida Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE) initiative, a statewide effort to reduce government spending, eliminate waste, and review financial practices across state agencies, local governments, and public higher education institutions.
Executive Order 25-44 creates the Executive Office of the Governor DOGE Team, which will oversee compliance and conduct audits of local government spending using publicly available financial records. The team will coordinate with the Board of Governors and the State Board of Education to assess the State University System and Florida College System, identifying unnecessary programs, courses, staff, and operational inefficiencies. Findings and recommendations for legislative reforms must be submitted to the governor, chief financial officer, Senate president, and House speaker by Sept. 30.
“Florida has set the standard for fiscally conservative governance, and our new Florida DOGE task force will do even more to serve the people of Florida,” said DeSantis. “It will eliminate redundant boards and commissions, review state university and college operations and spending, utilize artificial intelligence to further examine state agencies to uncover hidden waste, and even audit the spending habits of local entities to shine the light on waste and bloat.”
The order also requires each state agency to establish an Agency DOGE Team to conduct internal reviews. These teams must use artificial intelligence and other technology to identify waste, assess spending on programs and contracts, and recommend cost-cutting measures.
Agencies must also review federal grant funding, flagging awards that do not align with state policies and determining whether unspent funds should be returned to the federal government. Monthly progress reports must be submitted to the governor’s office until the order expires on March 31, 2026.
“[S]tate and local governments should be efficient, effective, transparent, and responsive and should be held accountable for achieving these goals, the order reads. “Fiscal accountability is necessary to ensure good government and to minimize financial burdens on the taxpayer.”
The directive follows similar federal efforts under the Trump administration, which created a government efficiency office to reform workforce structures and streamline operations.