Florida CFO, Osceola County clash over allegations of wasteful spending

Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia is accusing Osceola County of spending money like “drunken sailors,” claiming the county wasted more than $165 million in the last year alone.His comments came during a press conference on Wednesday in St. Cloud. Hours later, the County issued a response that said in part, “The Osceola County Board of County Commissioners shares the Florida Agency for Fiscal Oversight’s commitment to delivering high-quality services at the greatest possible value to taxpayers,” but suggested the CFO was missing several key data points.During his press conference on Wednesday, Ingoglia said the county budget has more than doubled since 2020, outpacing inflation and population growth.The CFO said Osceola County’s budget should be about half of what it is right now. He conceded an increase was necessary, but said the budget should have increased by about 58 percent over the last six years, not 102 percent. Ingoglia said property tax reform was the key to f