Deegan tries to head off conflict over state DOGE audit

Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan hopes a phone call with Florida’s chief financial officer can tamp down a budding controversy over a state DOGE audit.

Florida CFO Blaise Ingoglia sent Deegan a letter Monday suggesting that the city was trying to “limit the audit authority of his office” by requiring auditors to sign a nondisclosure agreement.

Deegan responded that the “standard one-page form” is used whenever someone — including auditors — accesses sensitive city data.

Phil Perry, the city’s chief communications officer, told Jacksonville Today on Tuesday that the mayor’s office has reached out to Ingoglia’s office to arrange a phone call between the two officials.

The form from the city’s Information Technology Division, provided by the Deegan administration with a news release Monday night, lays out city policies that prevent users from outside city government from sharing system passwords, removing computer hardware from city buildings, and not disclosing private data or confidential client information.

The document also asks for the names and the number of people who will be accessing the city’s financial system when the state DOGE — the Florida Department of Government Efficiency — arrives Friday for a two-day extended audit of the city’s finances announced by the state entity last week.

“We go to great lengths to protect the integrity and safety of our network. As such, we require every external auditor to complete a standard one-page form to request access to our sensitive and sophisticated financial systems,” Deegan said in the news release. “We respect Florida DOGE’s desire to gain access. All we ask is that they follow our well-established procedures, which are protected under the very state statute that they cited. Security should never be politicized.”

Ingoglia posted his letter to Deegan on the X social media platform Monday objecting to the city’s audit form for DOGE staff. 

“It has come to my attention that some government entities are attempting to require my audit team to sign documents that limit the audit authority of this office. Let me be clear, we will not execute documents including, but not limited to, non-disclosure agreements, technology use agreements, acceptable use policies, indemnification agreements, and cost-sharing agreements while performing audits under the authority of this office,” Ignoglia’s letter says. 

“These types of documents slow and impede the important work of the auditors and are nothing but roadblocks to transparency that Floridians deserve,” he wrote.

The letter also asserts the CFO’s authority to issue subpoenas, administer oaths and examine witnesses related to the audit.

A few hours later, Ingoglia called out Deegan directly in a second X post and wrote “What are you trying to hide?” while sharing media coverage of the back-and-forth. 

The exchange between the state official and Deegan’s office followed the revelation July 31 that Jacksonville was being added to a growing list of cities and counties that Florida DOGE intends to subject to expanded, in-person audits.

Those included Broward and Orange counties and the cities of Gainesville and St. Petersburg — all areas that lean Democratic. 

Gov. Ron DeSantis says DOGE is meant to weed out fraud, waste and abuse of tax dollars by local governments. Deegan’s office maintains it had been and continues to cooperate with the state DOGE’s request for access to documents and city policies and procedures related to finances. 

Jacksonville City Council member Ron Salem, who leads the city’s local DOGE efforts, says he’s been asked to prepare a report of its findings to the committee dating back to its launch in February.

Deegan administration officials worked with Salem’s committee to close out projects that were either completed or dormant to return the money to a special DOGE contingency account.