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.