Editor’s note: In a response that reached the Sentinel after our print deadline, the CFO’s office answered some of our questions regarding his criticism of Orange County. This editorial has been updated to reflect that.

In a combative press conference Monday, Florida’s unelected Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia ripped into Orange County officials — accusing them of supporting a bloated government by bleeding taxpayers dry.

If only he had the numbers to back that up.

But he didn’t. The figures he used as proof of the county’s excessive spending were offered without context — and at times appeared to be manipulated to make things look worse than they were. Ingoglia’s entire argument was based on the presumption that any spending he identified as “excessive” was automatically bad.

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