SANFORD, Fla. - Seminole County Responds to State's Spending Claims
This month, Florida's chief financial officer said the county was overtaxing residents.
In response, Seminole County commissioners called the claims by the Florida Agency for Fiscal Oversight about overspending unfair and inaccurate.
The backstory:
Seminole County commissioners sent Florida CFO Blaise Ingoglia a letter Oct. 15, requesting his office "reconsider the conclusion that Seminole County overspent its budget."
Ingoglia held a news conference Oct. 7 in Seminole County to claim the county overspent its budget by $48.4 million.
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The CFO did not give specific examples of items on which Seminole County "overspent."
Seminole County Commission Chairman Jay Zembower said commissioners felt blindsided by the Oct. 7 news conference.
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Ingoglia said the Florida Agency for Financial Oversight paid Seminole County a visit because commissioners voted to raise property taxes last month for the first time in 16 years.
Commissioners said they had no other choice but to raise taxes, as they claimed to face a $35 million dollar budget shortfall.
Commissioners said they are sharing the letter with the public in the name of transparency. They said they have not heard from the CFO's office.
The CFO's office said they're reviewing the letter.
What they're saying:
While Ingoglia casts himself as a watchdog for taxpayers, some local officials see the criticism as politically motivated and lacking context.
"This is just not the story," Zembower said of the CFO's claims. "This is not the correct narrative because that's not what happened."
"We've gone back through and rechecked, rescrubbed," Zembower said of checking the books.
"We just don't see it. It's state mandates and the market pressures that have come to bear on law enforcement."
"It appears that Seminole County is being as disingenuous with the time that they've given us to review their claims as they are with their excuses for their wasteful and excessive spending," the statement from the CFO's office said.
"The fact of the matter is we have been in receipt of their letter for a little over 2 business days. While we are in the process of reviewing the items, it is disingenuous on Seminole County's part to say that they would not fund core public safety functions such as the sheriff's office, jail or court support, without a state mandate.
"When we are finished with the review, we will advise Seminole County leaders."
What's next:
It is unclear when CFO Ingoglia will respond directly to county commissioners. It is not known when the CFO's office will release details of the audit.