DeSantis creates Florida DOGE task force to cut state spending, target bureaucracy
Taking a page from billionaire Elon Musk's push to cut federal spending, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday announced a new panel that will review about 900 state positions, university spending, local government spending and the need for about 70 state boards and commissions.
Embracing the rapid action by the federal Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, DeSantis said the "state DOGE task force" will be an effort to "continue to streamline our government and continue to eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy."
"For too long, nobody has cared about the taxpayers, much less the next generation, who is ultimately going to have to pay for all of the mismanagement that we have seen over these many, many years," DeSantis said during an appearance in Tampa.
DeSantis said he's putting the panel together but indicated that State Board of Administration Executive Director Chris Spencer and Florida Division of Bond Finance Director Ben Watkins will be involved.
Criticism from democrats and advocacy groups
Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Nikki Fried scoffed at the plan, saying, "Republicans have been in total control of Florida's government for nearly 30 years and he wants to talk about government waste?" The GOP has held the governor's office since Jeb Bush was elected in 1998 and has controlled both chambers of the Legislature since 1996.
Jared Nordlund, Florida state director of UnidosUS, a Latino civil-rights organization, described the plan as "political theater."
"Florida faces real, urgent problems to solve—families struggling with the highest rise in the cost of living in the country, high school students unable to read at an 8th-grade level, a fifth of seniors experiencing homelessness, red tide polluting our beaches and policies that are increasingly hostile to communities of color and working people," Nordlund said in a statement.
"Yet, instead of addressing these urgent issues, the governor is laser-focused on cutting 'bloat' from a bureaucracy he and his own party built, mismanaged and weaponized against Floridians."
Ties to Musk and Trump
With Musk a top ally of President Donald Trump, the federal DOGE initiative has drawn heavy attention—and controversy—in recent weeks as it has looked to slash spending.
The new state task force will have one year to make recommendations.
Targeting universities, local governments
As an example, DeSantis said the goal at universities will be to "prune" ideological studies, similar to how the state has eliminated diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives from Florida's higher education system. The focus, he said, should be on preparing students for "meaningful employment after graduation."
"We want to make sure that these universities are really serving the classical mission of what a university should be," he said. "And that's not to impose ideology. It's really to teach students how to think and to prepare them to be citizens of our republic."
Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. echoed that sentiment, stating, "It is a great time to review higher education spending with a fine-tooth comb, particularly when it comes to programs that do not contribute to students' future success in the job market."
DeSantis also said he will ask lawmakers to grant the task force the power to audit local government budgets, arguing that many local governments have opted to increase budgets and property taxes to fund spending.
The state effort will also include increased use of artificial intelligence to help identify DEI-related spending in contracts, DeSantis said.
