- April 1, 2026
Flagler County is one of the top wasters of taxpayer money, according to Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingolio.
“The budget increase we have seen in Flagler County represents the single largest increase we have seen out of the 16 spending reviews we have conducted so far, and it should concern every single taxpayer in this county,” Ingoglia said in a press release.
During a March 26 press conference at the Hammock Dunes Club, Ingoglia told local elected officials that Flagler County wasted around $59 million of taxpayer money in the last budget. Flagler County, he said, had the biggest proportional waste, with a general fund budget that increased from $92.5 million in 2019 to $202.7 million in 2025.
Later on March 26, on the Joe Mullins Radio Show of former Flagler Commission Joe Mullins, Ingoglia reiterated that the money “should have never been taxed.”
“That $59 million is the amount of revenue that was taken in over and above what would normally be taken in for inflation in population,” Ingoglia said. “They just took the money, showed zero fiscal restraint, [and] spent it.”
Ingoglio’s formula is based on the pre-COVID budgets and calculates waste by taking the base 2019 budget and accounting for inflation and population growth. Anything over that number is considered wasteful spending.
They just took the money, showed zero fiscal restraint, [and] spent it.”
— BLAISE INGOGLIO, Florida CFO
According to Ingoglio and the Florida Agency for Fiscal Oversight press release, Flagler County could apply a 1.40 millage reduction to the upcoming budget “without disrupting any essential services provided to citizens.”
In an official statement released on its Facebook page following the press conference, Flagler County said it has a 16-year record of “national budget excellence” and “award-winning Transparency Dashboards.” It said the state’s new 2026 transparency mandates “mirror the exact standards Flagler established years ago.”
Flagler County said it welcomes the opportunity to discuss fiscal efficiency and accountability.
“We acknowledge the Florida CFO’s role in this process, and we will continue to work side-by-side with the state to ensure our taxpayers receive the maximum benefit from every dollar,” the post said. “In Flagler, the books are open, the mission is clear, and our commitment to efficiency and accountability is proven.”
The fiscal year 2025-2026 general fund of $202 million was a 13% increase from the previous year, Flagler County’s five constitutional officers’ budget accounted for $59 million of the general fund, which is funded through property taxes.
Of that, $48 million went to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
Fiscal scrutiny must be grounded in operational reality, not a simplified formula.”
— ROLAND CLEE, Flagler resident
Flagler resident and consultant Roland Clee called Ingoglio’s narrative “faulty” and reliant on a “simplified assumption” that “local government’s obligated spending should track with household inflation and population growth.”
“Fiscal scrutiny,” Clee wrote in a statement sent to the Observer, “must be grounded in operational reality, not a simplified formula.”
Clee said the reality is local government spending cannot be compared to grocery shopping costs. Governments are required to meet newer, modern standards and new expenses from unfunded federal mandates and state directives, like upgrading waste water facilities to meet new environmental standards.
“The idea that government can simply ‘buy cheaper or shop better’ no longer reflects the marketplace,” Clee wrote. “Basic is gone. Safety systems, emissions standards, integrated electronics, and supply chain pressures have fundamentally changed what is available.”
Taxation cannot be the answer to every problem government identifies.”
— LEANN PENNINGTON, Flagler County Commissioner
Flagler Commission Chair Leann Pennington said in a March 28 Facebook post that members of the commission have “consistently raised concerns” about rising project costs, staffing and overall government growth.
The county has, she said, taken meaningful steps over the 2019-2026 period to strengthen its financial position. The county has also lowered property taxes every year Pennington has been in office, she said.
But, she said she is glad Ingoglio recognized the issues and “selected our county as an example of wasteful spending.”
“It reinforces what I’ve been saying for some time,” Pennington wrote. “Taxation cannot be the answer to every problem government identifies.”
