PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (CBS12) — Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia used a Port St. Lucie news conference Wednesday to accuse St. Lucie County of excessive spending and to press for aggressive property tax cuts statewide, arguing that local governments have become bloated while homeowners struggle with affordability.
Speaking to reporters and local officials, Ingoglia said his office’s review found St. Lucie County had “overtaxed and overspent” residents by about $46 million, based on a formula that compares current spending with what he said the budget should have been after adjusting a pre-COVID baseline for inflation and population growth.
Ingoglia said the county’s general fund budget grew from $162 million in the 2019-20 budget year to $285 million in the 2025-26 budget year, an increase of $123 million, or 76 percent, over six years. He said the county added roughly 72,452 residents during that period, along with 212 full-time employees, though only 22 of those were sheriff’s deputies…