Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia charged Monday that Orange County residents are overtaxed to the tune of at least $148 per person and that county leaders could “easily” slash close to $200 million in “wasteful” spending from their budget.

In response, a fiery Mayor Jerry Demings defended Orange County’s spending and said Ingoglia “ought to get his own house in order first before he goes looking in someone else’s house.”

Ingoglia’s comments were the latest salvo in a bubbling feud between the Republican CFO and the Orange County government. But it was also a personal attack on Demings, a potential Democratic candidate for governor, complete with a warning that the state could withhold funding for the county in the future.

“I think this is such a big issue that a lot of th

See Full Page