CLEARWATER, Fla. - Florida DOGE audits of local governments are getting underway, including in Pinellas County where commissioners are defending their spending and calling out the agency's accounting.

What is Florida DOGE?

The backstory:

Earlier this year , the state launched its own Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), modeled after the federal government’s effort to find fraud, waste and abuse after President Donald Trump took office in January.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said a team composed of auditors and other staff from various state agencies will "conduct reviews of the data systems, physical premises and personnel of counties and cities that have thus far refused to cooperate with us to identify and report on any excessive spending patterns."

DeSantis and Florida Chief

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