Manatee County Responds to CFO's Audit Findings

BRADENTON — In the wake of Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia's Thursday press conference, delivering the long-awaited results of his Florida Agency for Fiscal Oversight audit of the county budget, Manatee County has issued the following statement:

Manatee County has been fully cooperative with the CFO's office and the Governor's DOGE team throughout the last several months. Our team has supplied all requested information promptly and in good faith and has maintained regular communication with state officials, even meeting with the DOGE team yesterday in Tallahassee.

We were not previously aware of the details released by the Chief Financial Officer during his news conference October 16, 2025, but we welcome the opportunity to review the findings and better understand the analysis. In fact, Manatee County recently established a citizen-led Government Efficiency Liaison Committee which is dedicated to reviewing spending, streamlining operations, and reducing waste. Their next meeting is October 28 and you’re welcome to attend.

We hope they choose to look into how these findings can lead to specific recommendations for the Board. Manatee County remains committed to transparency, accountability, and responsible stewardship of taxpayer resources. We value our partnership with the State of Florida and share the same goal - to serve residents efficiently and effectively across all our shared communities.