Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia on Wednesday criticized Nassau County’s budget growth as “excessive, wasteful spending,” arguing the county could cut property taxes without reducing essential services.
In a statement issued in Fernandina Beach, Ingoglia said Nassau County’s budget has increased by more than $53 million and has grown by more than 96% over the past five years, while the county’s population rose about 18% during the same period. He said the county’s General Fund budget increased by $96.2 million since fiscal year 2019-2020, which he framed as a sign of expanding government costs.
“Taxpayers throughout Florida are tired of their locally elected officials wasting their hard-earned money on government bloat. The amount of excessive, wasteful spending in Nassau County announced today is yet another example that the growth in government is wasteful in itself,” Ingoglia said. “As CFO, I will keep bringing transparency to Floridians and holding local governments accountable for overtaxing their citizens. With each review of local governments, we are proving that real tax relief is not only possible but necessary. ”
Ingoglia called on county officials to provide tax relief, saying state-level reviews are identifying opportunities for local governments to reduce spending and lower rates. The release said the Florida Agency of Fiscal Oversight recommends Nassau County could lower its millage rate by 0.95 mills without interfering with essential services.
Under that reduction, the statement said homeowners would save about $380 annually on a taxable home value of $400,000, $475 on a $500,000 taxable value, and $570 on a $600,000 taxable value.
The announcement follows similar reviews by Ingoglia’s office, which said it has identified more than $1.9 billion in what it calls excessive spending across 12 local governments in the current fiscal year.
