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Florida DOGE teams audit Broward County, Gainesville in statewide crackdown on local spending

Two audit teams touched down Thursday in Broward County and Gainesville, marking the official launch of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a new state initiative aimed at rooting out what the administration calls wasteful local spending.

The Governor’s Office says the Florida DOGE initiative, announced in an executive order DeSantis signed Feb. 24, was created to enforce fiscal accountability across local and state governments.

Newly sworn-in CFO Blaise Ingoglia is leading the charge. He joined DeSantis in Fort Lauderdale last week to preview the effort.

“There is a new era of accountability in Florida when it comes to wasteful spending,” Ingoglia said.

DeSantis said Broward and Gainesville were chosen due to sharp increases in property tax collections and local spending. State officials allege Broward raised ad valorem taxes by more than $450 million over five years without matching population growth. They said Gainesville’s property tax burden jumped 85% since 2020.

How Florida's manufactured home parks are growing unaffordable

Rising lot rents are quietly pricing Floridians out of their communities.

Residents in manufactured home parks typically own their homes, which are cheaper than site-built homes, and rent the lot underneath it.

From 2015 to 2023, median lot rent for manufactured homes has nearly doubled across the state, according to American Housing Survey data from the Census Bureau.

In the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area, research shows that lot rent in manufactured home parks has outpaced rent for single-family homes over the last decade.

Jeff Grabel, the director of litigation at Bay Area Legal Services, said this signals a shift in the manufactured housing market, which is considered a crucial source of unsubsidized affordable housing for vulnerable individuals.

Angie Nixon considers Senate run, along with other possibilities

Democrats are looking for standard-bearers in statewide races next year.

And a state representative from Jacksonville isn’t necessarily opposed to trying her luck in one of those races.

“I like Congress. I like Governor. Maybe Senate. I dunno. Wherever the people want me,” Rep. Angie Nixon told Florida Politics on Thursday.

Indications are Senate will be the move.

Josh Weil, who lost a Special Election in Florida’s 6th Congressional District back in April, was the most prominent Senate candidate to take on incumbent Republican Sen. Ashley Moody, but announced Thursday he would be abandoning his nascent campaign for health reasons.

Regarding a potential Senate bid, at least one current state Senator has been asked for Nixon’s endorsement.

Likewise, a Democratic consultant told Florida Politics Thursday that trial balloons are in the air.

Rick Scott bill targets food expiration dates, hopes to limit food waste

A legislative champion has emerged on behalf of Floridians who obsess over “best by” dates of items in their pantries, their refrigerators, and on store shelves.

U.S. Sen. Rick Scott is carrying the Food Date Labeling Act.

The measure, introduced with U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, attempts to clarify what can be confusing expiration dates, creating a bifurcated, simple scheme where “Best If Used By” applies to quality and “Use By” confers an assurance of safety. The bill would also preempt responsibility for labels to the federal government.

“If a quality date is used on a food package, such quality date shall be proceeded by the uniform quality date label phrase … If a discard date is used on food packaging, such discard date shall be proceeded by the uniform discard date label phrase,” the bill proposes.

“Families across the country are working hard to take care of their families, make good decisions, and put food on the table. The last thing they need to deal with are confusing food date labels that are leading to perfectly good food being thrown away, wasting money and resources. This bipartisan bill offers a clear, straightforward solution to help consumers make smarter choices, reduce food waste, and support food donation efforts. I’m proud to work with my bipartisan colleagues to make our food system more transparent, efficient, and affordable for every American family,” Scott said.