Florida CFO Press Conference

PRESS RELEASE: Please feel free to share:

Please join Florida Chief Financial Officer, Blaise Ingoglia for a press conference in Palm Beach County.

Date: Tuesday, June 16, 2026
Arrival Time: 10:30 AM
Program Begins: 11:00 AM

Location:
Palm Beach State College
Humanities & Technology Building (HT-103)
801 Palm Beach State College Drive
Boca Raton, FL 33431

Please RSVP to Lucdwin Luck via email to: lucdwin.luck@myfloridacfo.com
or call (754) 715-1260.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Carl Cascio, Chairman
Republican Party of Palm Beach County

Kevin Steele running for Florida's CFO against Blaise Ingoglia

Kevin Steele is a business leader and conservative fighter running for Florida Chief Financial Officer

His objective--to cut waste, lower costs, and hold government accountable to the people.

• Cut Waste & Corruption: Root out inefficiency, fraud, and political bloat at every level of state government.
• Protect Taxpayers: Keep more of your hard-earned money where it belongs — in your pocket.
• Slash Property Insurance Costs: Deliver real solutions to lower premiums and stabilize the market.
• Eliminate Property Taxes on Homesteads: Let Floridians truly own their homes, tax-free.
• Run Government Like a Business: Efficient, accountable, results-driven — no excuses, no nonsense.

Florida’s affordability debate is now spilling into the Republican primary for chief financial officer. State Rep. Kevin Steele is mounting a challenge against Gov. Ron DeSantis–backed incumbent CFO Blaise Ingoglia.

Steele, one of the wealthiest lawmakers in the Florida Legislature and a staunch ally of former President Donald Trump, says his background as a business executive uniquely positions him to tackle rising insurance costs, property taxes, and what he describes as government inefficiency.

“That’s a big question everybody asks,” Steele said when asked why he wants the job. “I think my entire life has built up to this point. My career and the companies I’ve built has been around, you know, improving processes, reducing fraud and abuse. But we have a major issue with affordability in the state of Florida, and I think we need to address that issue.”

A former healthcare technology executive who sold his company in 2017, Steele says he would bring a CEO-style mindset to the CFO’s office — leaning on technology, internal audits, and what he calls “out-of-the-box” thinking to cut waste at both the state and local levels.

Read more about Kevin Steele

Florida 2026 CFO race

Florida's CFO has a challenger

Rep. Kevin Steele, a Pasco County Republican, entered the 2026 race for Florida Chief Financial Officer on Tuesday, filing paperwork to challenge incumbent CFO Blaise Ingoglia, a key Ron DeSantis' ally, in next year’s GOP primary.

Steele, a former healthcare technology executive with an estimated net worth above $300 million, said his campaign will center on affordability, state spending oversight, and bringing private-sector management practices to the CFO’s office.

He launched his bid with an endorsement from U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, who called Steele “a proven leader” and emphasized his business background.

Steele is the wealthiest man in the Florida Legislature. First elected in 2022 and re-elected last year, he reported his net worth at more than $307 million in his 2024 financial disclosure forms. Steele founded the Tampa software company DataLink Software in 2001 and retired from the company in 2022.

Among the bills he has filed for this legislative session is a measure (HB 113) that would require all state university and Florida College System institution board of trustees to rename specific roads or portions of roads after Charlie Kirk. If those institutions decline to do so, Steele’s bill calls for state funds to be withheld.

He’s also filed a resolution for a constitutional amendment (HJR 201) that would eliminate property taxes on homesteaded property.

Excessive spending by Florida city government

Ingoglia Accuses Jacksonville of Wasteful Spending

A few days after accusing Orange County of excessive spending, Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia on Wednesday leveled a similar charge against the city of Jacksonville.

The city is overtaxing citizens by nearly $200 million annually, Ingoglia said. The figure is based on inflation and population growth over the last five years, the CFO said.

The formula also includes filters for government efficiency, or lack of it, Ingoglia said.

“We got to what the budget should be under normal, sane circumstances with people who are somewhat fiscally responsible with their money,” he said. “And they were $200 million over that number. That’s an outstanding number.”

As property values and assessments have increased over the last few years, local governments have benefited from higher property tax receipts.

“Local governments are taking that money and expanding government, paying people within the bureaucracy some pretty big raises and wasting dollar after dollar – your tax dollars,” Ingoglia said.

The city’s general fund budget – paid through property taxes – increased by $692 million over the past five years, he said.

Read more...

Under the Doge microscope, county governments everywhere in the state are having to change how they operate and how they think.

Earlier this year, the Palm Beach County commission struggled to come to terms with the possibility that millions in federal funding could be withheld under the new Trump Administration if they refused to scale back their diversity, equity, and inclusion programs (DEI). They did.

Florida's new Chief Financial Officer

New CFO appointed by Ron DeSantis

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday appointed Sen. Blaise Ingoglia as Florida’s new chief financial officer, selecting the lawmaker to fill the vacancy left by Jimmy Patronis, who resigned in March after winning a congressional seat.

Ingoglia, known for his fiscal conservatism, (he once introduced a bill to eliminate the Florida Democrat party--LOL) is expected to resign from the Senate later this week, opening up a race to represent Senate District 11.

Within hours of the appointment, former Rep. Ralph Massullo filed to run for the soon-to-be-vacant seat, launching his campaign with an endorsement from DeSantis and a message focused on continuing Florida’s conservative policy trajectory.

Massullo, a longtime physician from Lecanto, served in the House until 2024 and becomes the first major Republican to enter the race.

DeSantis said Ingoglia would focus on strengthening oversight of government spending, supporting first responders, and promoting fiscal accountability. Ingoglia said his immediate priorities include property tax relief, improvements to firefighter benefits, and increased scrutiny of insurance companies operating in the state.

Read about Blaise