JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Tensions are mounting between the Mayor’s Office and the State DOGE team ahead of its expected visit to Jacksonville Thursday morning.
It all started when the state’s new CFO Blaise Ingoglia posted a letter he sent to the mayor on social media, accusing the City of Jacksonville of trying to restrict his team’s access to the city’s financial data.
His complaint centers around a technology use agreement, which the city requested DOGE team members sign before accessing the city databases.
Mayor Donna Deegan argued it’s a standard form all external auditors are asked to sign.
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“All I am trying to do as your Chief Executive Officer, and I have taken an oath to do that, is to make sure we are protecting our city data. We have not denied access to any data, nor are we going to deny access to anything,” said Deegan Tuesday.
Speaking in Orange County that same morning, Ingoglia noted he told the DOGE team not to sign any agreements with local governments after he learned DOGE members agreed to sign a nondisclosure agreement with Alachua County.
“This is not a negotiation with local government,” said Ingoglia.
The Jacksonville form does include some restrictive language, requiring written permission from the city’s Information Technology Division to access city systems and remove data from city buildings.
Ingoglia argued there’s no state law that authorizes the city to place those requirements on the DOGE team.
“All of the auditors, all of the employees that are on site are bound by current state law,” said Ingoglia. ”They’re not gonna share any information they’re not supposed to share and they are going to make sure they’re taking care of every precaution to make sure information does not get out.”
When asked whether she would back down on the forms, the mayor told Action News Jax she wanted to talk with Ingoglia to come to a solution.
“I just want to make sure we understand each other. And so far, we haven’t had a conversation. So, I don’t know how that’s going to go,” said Deegan.
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Deegan has suggested in public statements she’s fine with the state taking a look at the city finances so long as it isn’t political.
Based on the initial controversy, she said she now believes politics are involved.
“Either way the state will certainly have access to all the data that they want to have access to,” said Deegan.
Ingoglia pushed back on the idea these DOGE audits are politically motivated.
He noted his team is looking at all municipalities that have seen large increases in property tax revenues and budget growth, whether they’re Red or Blue.
Ingoglia highlighted that the team is also looking into Pinellas and Manatee County’s finances, which are both Republican-led.
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