The Broward County Commission may have voted this week to trim its share of the annual property tax rate, but local leaders don’t deserve all the credit for tax relief, according to Florida’s chief financial officer.
That credit, said CFO Blaise Ingoglia, goes to the state — specifically to Gov. Ron DeSantis and his Florida DOGE effort. In the name of cutting wasteful spending to provide tax relief for residents, a team with the state’s Department of Governmental Efficiency descended on Broward in late July and early August to inspect the county’s spending decisions.
That pressure probably contributed to this week’s tax rate cut in several communities, Ingoglia said in a recent interview with Politico, also noting that Hernando County slashed its tax rate. “Just for the sheer fact that we are out there and someone is finally watching local government, we are actually changing behavior,” he said in a brief interview with the news site.
Broward’s tax cut, by any objective measure, is miniscule. During the debate over its passage, commissioners acknowledged that taxpayers will not notice a cut, but the increases they see will be a few cents lower than they would have been without the cut. Some even predicted the commission would be criticized in the news media for even calling it a cut.
Property tax bills depend on property values and the tax rate — if the rate remains unchanged, or even if it’s cut, bills could still increase of values go up. The county’s decision Tuesday cut the rate, but not nearly enough to offset higher bills.
County Commissioner Michael Udine, who pushed for the rate cut, said he wanted to demonstrate a long-term commitment to fiscally responsible handline of taxpayer dollars.
But that commitment did not begin with DOGE, Udine said, and records prove it. Udine has been trying to cut the county’s share of the tax rate at least since 2023, according to county meeting records. This year was his first attempt in the current political climate, with Donald Trump as president and DeSantis openly trying to replicate his Department Of Government Efficiency to audit government spending.
It’s also the first year in decades that Broward taxpayers had not been required to contribute to paying off its general debt obligation. Commissioners at Tuesday’s budget meeting said they were convinced to cut the rate because they would still be able to replenish the county’s “rainy day” reserve fund.
“I am glad we were able to make it happen this year,” Udine said. “I think the public outcry (for tax relief) is being heard, and I am glad we were able to make this happen.”
Rafael Olmeda can be reached at rolmeda@sunsentincl.com or 954-356-4457. Follow him on Threads.net/@rafael.olmeda.