Palm Beach County may soon be in the crosshairs of Florida’s DOGE-styled auditors who will be looking into whether spending at the county level can be reduced.
While Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has not yet said when the state auditors will come, but County County Clerk Joe Abruzzo, who will become county administrator on Aug. 9, told The Palm Beach Post he expects it to happen.
“I welcome them to come in and look at our budget,” he said. “We will fully cooperate and give them whatever they want.”
DeSantis created the Florida State Department of Government Efficiency with an executive order in February, directing it to reduce government spending by auditing local governments, colleges and universities, modeled on the effort at the federal level. Interim state Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia is overseeing the audits.
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County finance officials have already responded to a request for data from the state. They have sent detailed spreadsheets to Ingoglia’s office that tracked spending and population increases during the four-year fiscal period ending in 2024.
DeSantis takes aim at property taxes in Florida
Ron DeSantis leaves a press event at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Fla., on June 26, 2025.
DeSantis is critical of local and county governments that increase their budgets far in excess of population growth. Among the jurisdictions he has criticized were nearby Broward County and the city of Gainesville. They will among the first to undergo DOGE audits.
DeSantis claims too many local governments are taking advantage of increasing property values to collect more taxes from residents instead of lowering tax rates. Even a lower millage rate often results in higher property taxes because of higher property assessments, he notes.
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The Palm Beach County data sent to the state does, indeed, show that spending has increased at a much higher rate than the population. It is something that state auditors are expected to closely examine.
“There is a world where the millage rate being lower you still will pay more net taxes if they assess your property high enough,” DeSantis said at a recent press conference in Fort Lauderdale.
What services in Palm Beach County have seen the biggest financial increases?
From fiscal 2021 to 2024, Palm Beach County’s population increased 7%, from 1.43 million to 1.53 million. Yet the amount collected from taxpayers increased 26%, from $3.7 billion to $4 billion. The total budget increased 36%, from $6.5 billion to $8.8 billion.
Much of the increase has been fueled by public safety. Fire Rescue is up by 38%; Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, 31%, according to the spreadsheets sent to the state. Former County Administrator Verdenia Baker has said the increases in law enforcement are not sustainable, and are preventing the county from addressing other pressing needs in county government.
Joe Abruzzo (left) receives congratulations after being named Palm Beach County’s new administrator, Tuesday, June 17, 2025.
County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw can appeal to the governor any cuts to his budget made by county commissioners.
By the middle of next month, DeSantis said he expects to identify another 15 jurisdictions that will face scrutiny. He said at the press conference in July that Palm Beach County may be among them.
“I’ve had a lot of complaints, from folks down here in South Florida, vis-a-vis some of the governments.,” he said.
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State auditors will be looking with a critical eye toward efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion, and environmental efforts aimed at responding to climate change. Ingoglia said local government spending “is far outstripping in my opinion, the residents and the taxpayers’ willingness and ability to pay.”
DeSantis has been critical of the salary paid to Broward County Administrator Monica Cepero. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel has reported she earns $461,000 a year. Former Palm Beach County Administrator Verdenia Baker earned $463,000 before she recently retired. Abruzzo will earn $425,000 when he will become the administrator on Aug. 9.
When county commissioners set the salary range, they noted that it needed to set it high. Overseeing Palm Beach County government was the equivalent of overseeing a Fortune 500 company, said County Mayor Maria Marino.
Mike Diamond is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. He covers Palm Beach County government. You can reach him at mdiamond@pbpost.com. Help support local journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida DOGE auditors appear headed to Palm Beach County
