Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday sharpened his campaign against what he described as “excessive spending” across Florida, pointing to audits that uncovered millions of dollars in questionable projects — from drag shows and DEI programs to neon signs and taxpayer-funded holograms of mayors.
According to DeSantis, the Florida Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) audit found that the City of Pensacola “pays $150,000 a year to a management company that brings drag shows to the city’s Saenger Theater and has paid $300,000 for an equity-focused strategic plan and residential ‘equity survey.’”
The drag performance in question, Drag Queen Christmas, scheduled for two days before Christmas, has generated outrage in the community. “Drag Queen Christmas, scheduled two days before Christmas in December, this December, is a mockery of the holiest of Christian holidays, and mockery of the birth of Christ,” said resident Charles Kurtman.
Religious leaders echoed the concern. “I just ask you to cancel this event,” said Dr. Tim Zacharias, assistant pastor at Pensacola Christian College. “Womanhood is not a subjective expression. It’s certainly not a costume. So, this is a mockery against womanhood.”
The City of Pensacola was audited by DOGE in August, though Mayor D.C. Reeves insisted he expected a positive outcome. Yet critics pointed to the city’s nearly $600,000 price tag for a large neon “Welcome to Pensacola” sign. “Maybe it should say ‘Welcome to wasteful spending,’” said Florida CFO Blaise Ingoglia.
The city responded cautiously, saying it learned of DOGE’s findings “from social media posts” and had not received formal communication. Officials said they were “gathering information” and would respond in due time.
For DeSantis, the Pensacola findings are part of a broader effort to hold local governments accountable. “Florida DOGE teams have been investigating cities and counties where taxpayers have raised concerns about wasteful spending,” DeSantis said. “These audits have uncovered many irresponsible uses of taxpayer funds. It’s unconscionable for local governments to raise taxes on Floridians in order to subsidize wasteful spending. Under my leadership, Floridians can continue to expect fiscal responsibility at the state level—and we are working to bring relief to our citizens being squeezed by property taxes at the local level.”
The DOGE task force has visited 12 jurisdictions so far, exposing a range of questionable expenditures:
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Jacksonville spent $75,000 on a multilingual hologram of Mayor Donna Deegan at its airport, $7.5 million on a one-mile sidewalk, and $1.9 million on DEI-focused arts groups.
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Gainesville pays its Director of Equity and Inclusion $189,000 annually, while prioritizing “divisive employee indoctrination” over core services.
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Orlando has spent $460,000 since 2020 on a “tree inventory” and $150,000 to aid illegal immigrants.
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St. Petersburg has diverted over $250,000 from utility and EMS funds to Pride events and $307,000 to a climate action plan tied to Green New Deal policies.
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Alachua County paid $31,000 to Planned Parenthood for a program aimed at teenagers as young as 13.
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Orange County spent $223,000 on LGBT youth services promoting gender ideology, and $240,000 on urban planning rooted in “race, social, and health equity.”
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Hillsborough County allocated nearly $1.5 million to “unconscious bias” training and vehicle perks for county employees.
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Pinellas County pays $75,000 annually to sponsor Pride festivals.
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Broward County has spent $890,000 on DEI training pushing gender ideology, $175,000 on “virtual art in the Metaverse,” and $44,000 backing a UN treaty on gender quotas.
“Floridians across the state have made it clear that they will no longer tolerate waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayer dollars,” said Ingoglia. “I have traveled the state to expose nearly $1 billion in wasted taxpayer dollars across just FIVE local governments. Local governments are crying poor but continue to spend wastefully on things like ‘counting trees.’ The taxpayers are tired of it, which is why property tax relief is their top concern. I was proud to be here with Governor DeSantis to expose some of the wasteful line items in local government budgets.”
For DeSantis, the message was straightforward: at a time of rising costs, Florida taxpayers should not be forced to underwrite drag shows, DEI programs, and vanity projects.
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