JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville mayor Donna Deegan has addressed comments made by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis after a press conference on Wednesday.

The conference, held at the Jacksonville International Airport, aimed to address topics related to what is deemed “wasteful spending” through state and local audits.

Blaise Ingoglia, Florida’s CFO who joined the governor, says that through internal audits, they are reporting $199 million worth of “wasteful and excessive spending.”

“Florida DOGE teams have been investigating cities and counties where taxpayers have raised concerns about wasteful spending,” DeSantis says. “These audits have uncovered many irresponsible uses of taxpayer funds. It’s unconscionable for local governments to raise taxes on Floridians in order to subsidize wasteful spending. Under my leadership, Floridians can continue to expect fiscal responsibility at the state level—and we are working to bring relief to our citizens being squeezed by property taxes at the local level.”

Ingoglia then turned his attention to Jacksonville, commenting on findings from Florida DOGE. He says that through audits, Florida DOGE broke down a $75,000 hologram of Mayor Deegan in the airport, which he considers a “stark example of tone deafness” regarding spending, as well as a $7.5 million sidewalk project and $1.9 million in grants to DEI-focused art groups. 

“Floridians across the state have made it clear that they will no longer tolerate waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayer dollars,” said Ingoglia. “I have traveled the state to expose nearly $1 billion in wasted taxpayer dollars across just five local governments. Local governments are crying poor but continue to spend wastefully on things like ‘counting trees.’ The taxpayers are tired of it, which is why property tax relief is their top concern. I was proud to be here with Governor DeSantis to expose some of the wasteful line items in local government budgets.”

Deegan released the following statement regarding comments from the Governor and Ingoglia:

“Our administration has been driving innovation since day one with exceptional results. We are turning around permits in half the time we used to. More than 304,000 staff hours have been saved through our 904 LEAN Program. We held the number of non-public safety city employees flat despite the fastest-growing population in Florida. We have a top-tier AA+ distinction from the leading ratings agency. 

“We stand by this Proto Box technology and the women-owned Jacksonville Small and Emerging Business behind it. In fact, AnuVision Technologies just presented Jax Tech Fest, a citywide movement to position Jacksonville as a leading hub for technology. Mayors greet travelers at airports across the country and use multimedia platforms to promote their cities as tourist destinations. This is just a new and innovative way to do that.

 “Instead of being distracted by the constant partisan attacks on local governments, our administration will continue the work to make housing, healthcare, and food costs more affordable for our citizens. I hope that state leaders will do the same.”