BRANDON, Fla.- Today, Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia announced that Hillsborough County is excessively spending $278 million above the amount that would account for population growth and inflation in its General Fund Budget. CFO Ingoglia is calling upon Hillsborough County to remove this waste from their budget and offer property tax relief to Hillsborough County residents.
Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia said, “Hillsborough is yet another large metro area where excessive spending is out of control. Taxpayers are fed up with their local governments spending recklessly while asking the taxpayers for even more money. These numbers are proof positive that the issue is spending, not revenue. Taxpayers deserve property tax relief and to know the truth about the Hillsborough County budget.”
Karen Jaroch, Mom and co-founder of Fix Our Roads First said, “As a longtime resident and mom who raised four children in Hillsborough County, I’ve seen how rising property taxes strain family budgets. Commissioners hold discretionary power to either lower property taxes, fund critical infrastructure like roads and sidewalks, or spend our tax dollars on non-essential projects that make our homes less affordable. I’m grateful CFO Ingoglia is shining a light on the latter and fighting to lower our property taxes, which will improve the lives of families in Hillsborough County.”
Steve Manning, Hillsborough County Business Owner and Board Chair of the Brandon Chamber of Commerce, said, “Rising property taxes don’t just impact the budgets of homeowners; they also impact the small businesses that rely on a steady stream of customers to spend money on their products or services. I was glad to join CFO Ingoglia in highlighting the detrimental impact that rising property taxes have had on all residents of Hillsborough County and I thank him for bringing attention to this issue.”
Tim Pennegan, Hillsborough County business owner, said, “We are a family business, and families are at the heart of our business model. While Hillsborough County continues to raise property taxes and overspend, it is the families that live in this county that are impacted negatively. I thank the CFO for his commitment to providing property tax relief for families in Hillsborough.”
Hillsborough County’s General Fund Budget has increased by $859,860,943 between Fiscal Year (FY) 2019-2020 and FY 2024-2025, which is an increase of 56.6%. However, the population has only grown by 123,823. This means that for each resident who moved to Hillsborough County, the General Fund Budget increased by $6,944 per person and for a family of four, it increased by $27,777.
At the same time, Hillsborough County has hired 645 full time employees. The county can reduce its millage rate by 1.02 mills without impacting services provided to residents. With this millage reduction homeowners could save:
· A taxable home value of $400,000 would save $408 per year.
· A taxable home value of $500,000 would save $510 per year.
· A taxable home value of $600,000 would save $612 per year.
With today’s announcement, CFO Ingoglia has already identified over $669.4 million in excessive spending across just three local governments. CFO Ingoglia plans to continue to expose wasteful and excessive spending across the state as a key part of his role as the Chief Financial Officer of Florida.
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