Florida DOGE to visit Alachua County offices on August 13-14
BY JENNIFER CABRERA
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida DOGE sent a letter to Alachua County on August 1, announcing an in-person visit to County offices on August 13 and 14, 2025.
According to the letter, the County “has increased annual budgeted spending from the General Fund by over $80 million, and spending from other funds by approximately $200 million. This spending has been supported in part by over $50 million in increased annual property tax burdens on property owners.”
Click here to read the letter and the list of requests.
Alachua County Communications Director Mark Sexton sent us the following statement from the County: “Alachua County has received the State’s letter and had a meeting today to discuss how we can best get the State the information it is seeking. We pride ourselves on transparency and openness, whether it is a resident asking for information or, in this case, the State.”
At today’s Special Budget meeting, County Manager Michele Lieberman said, “We have effectively divvied up all the items, and we are diligently preparing to have them here, and so we will be prepared.”
Commissioner Ken Cornell added, “And I just wanted to make sure, you know, as a former auditor that went to places that people hated when I showed up, I just want to tell our staff, you know, I support them. I think it’s actually great. It’s fine — oftentimes a great thing.”
Commissioner Anna Prizzia interjected, “This is not great, and these are not auditors.”
Cornell responded, “Well, I don’t know about that, but from an audit perspective, I always welcome audits, and so I have full confidence in our staff, I know they’ll do a great job on that, and we’ll see what happens.”
Prizzia agreed, “Yeah, I think our staff will do a great job. I’m just annoyed that they’re wasting staff’s time and energy. I mean, this is a major sink of staff time and resources and a waste of taxpayer dollars, in my opinion, but I hear you. I do think our staff will do a great job answering…” She paused, and Commissioner Mary Alford suggested, “Random questions?”
Prizzia continued, “… random questions that have no basis in reality or reasoning associated with them and is not a comprehensive audit.”
Anna Prizzia – do I smell just a bit of uneasiness? Some defensiveness? Why Anna? Anything you touch on a regular basis will be a good starting point for DOGE with that attitude. Can’t wait to see the report. The others in this article had the right attitude and responded like professionals, Anna. Try it sometime and stop the *itching.
Loy, this is a political stunt, not a true audit. Anna is a politician responding politically to political BS.
Then you as well will have zero problems with them looking at OUR taxpayer-funded expenditures Jazz. Nobody is exempted and the team are certified to do audits by the way. Let’s wait for the report. Hopefully all smells good and life will go on but if not…well…
This is going to be great. Prizzia’s predictable and childish response is a predictable projection of her guilt as a prime waster of taxpayer dollars.
Methinks the lady doth protest too much…
You’re probably right; if there’s waste she can recognize, it’s taxpayer dollars, as well as people’s time and energy.
One might conclude that comes from experience.
Funding programs most people in Alachua County want and are effective is not waste. You don’t like them, yeah it’s waste to you like $100 billion + to ICE is a waste – and worse – to me. But you and I lost the last elections. The answer is not some higher power changing what the voters want, but winning that next election.
Good, hope they find out why my $11K pole barn was submitted to the property appraiser as $95K. Greed
Good!!!! The County always states they have lowered tax’s. That’s a smoke and mirror game. Yes, they have lowered the millage rate however, taxes have continued to climb due to property values. If the BoCC wants to truly lower taxes, roll the millage rate back so the tax payer actually sees a cost savings on the TRIM notice. But hey, we can’t have the BoCC bringing in less money can we. Won’t have as much money to give away.
I’ll give Cornell props for being professional and logical. The two overly emotional ladies need counseling.
Prizzia said:
“this is a major sink of staff time and resources and a waste of taxpayer dollars”
This is exactly what many citizens generally think about our local governments. This is the time to prove us skeptics wrong — but instead you just screech about being audited.
Hope DOGE asks how much tax revenue has been spent on hotels for homeless and conservation easements.
It sure hasn’t gone towards road repairs.
Prizzia is probably thinking whew, I’m glad the butcher shop went nowhere.
She wanted a SLAUGHERHOUSE on OUR DIME!
I’m thinking the 13th & 14th some offices in county buildings may have bodies in them for the 1st time in 3 1/2 years.
Musks’ DOGE disaster – wrecked numerous congressionally approved agencies and programs and saved very little – wasn’t aimed at the states but the federal government of which it was part. Fl DOGE isn’t checking the state, it’s bullying blue local governments with clearly partisan and political goals. If you buy this charade, you’re a fool or a Republican, these days a redundant comment.
Maybe FL DOGE should be checking the $10 million the governor stole from tax payers or the bid-free construction of Alligator Concentration Camp (campaign donors got the work) which he said will cost $450 million a year, supposedly to be paid back by FEMA – you know, the Federal Emergency Republican Slush Fund Since We Don’t Need It For Hurricanes Anymore.
No here one believes anything you say, and for good reason. You’ll never be a woman.
Don’t say “no here one”, (I believe you meant “no one here”)…and yes, there are those that subscribe to this notion!
Your party is dying at a rapid pace. Democrats have learned nothing since Trump won and don’t seem to get it. Please get back on the meds. You are going to need them for at least the next decade or beyond. People are sick of the democratic party and it’s lying policies.
Bear, tough talk from a cult follower of a guy who has lost 2 out of 3 popular votes and in the one he won, didn’t get a majority of Americans to vote for him and won by 1.5% against his nearest competitor.
Trump’s approval numbers are tanking and that’s before his tariff ego trip has effect – tell me, if the EU’s tariff is going to be 15% (and that’s one of the low ones), and most businesses in America work on margins much less than 15%, how many months can or will those businesses eat those tariffs before they go under or start passing it on to consumers? Simple question and the answer is inflation and slowing economic activity. The guy was given $400 million to start, went bankrupt 6 times, and before he made money as a reality TV star was borrowing up to his butt. You think he knows what he’s doing?
Gallup
“Six months into his second term, President Donald Trump’s job approval rating has dipped to 37%, the lowest of this term and just slightly higher than his all-time worst rating of 34% at the end of his first term. Trump’s rating has fallen 10 percentage points among U.S. adults since he began his second term in January, including a 17-point decline among independents, to 29%, matching his lowest rating with that group in either of his terms….
Trump’s ratings for handling each of eight separate foreign and domestic issues are also generally poor. He earns the highest marks for his handling of the situation with Iran (42%) and foreign affairs (41%). Approval is slightly lower for his job on immigration (38%), the economy (37%), the situation in the Middle East between the Israelis and Palestinians (36%), and foreign trade (36%). Americans’ ratings of Trump’s handling of the situation in Ukraine (33%) and the federal budget (29%) are even lower…”
https://news.gallup.com/poll/692879/independents-drive-trump-approval-second-term-low.aspx
Holy wall of text, no one is going to read any of that, lol.
It seems that the only fool here is you. I see your comments daily, vomiting democrat propaganda all over everyone. You seem to be OK with paying the highest property taxes in the state with nothing to show for it. I am not. Our roads suck, our schools suck, and public safety is constantly asked to do more with less. Where is exactly is my money going? WhoTF knows?! Hopefully the auditors will tell us and then the voters can decide.
You are the fool. 2 billion on the wood burner. 84% rise in taxes in 4 years. Looting GRU. Burger King employees at the city finance dept. Oh yeah.
Prizzia is freaking out because she also works for IFAS. She gets paid by the county AND the state. She is double-dipping and still complains.
Alachua County freeloads on GRU ratepayers as follows: fire hydrants, streetlights, GRU Com, collection and administration of utility and sales taxes WITHOUT CHARGE.
FDOGE should look for convoluted financial connections between county personnel and Celebration Pointe contractors, as well. It can be done online as well.
Pull the plug on GRACE at both the city and county levels. Sell the land and all the homeless motels. Cancel the ambassador program. Don’t spend more than a few million dollars total to refresh the eastside sports complex. Slash useless jobs. Beef up law enforcement. Replace our sick and twisted corrupt local leaders with appointees. That would be a good start.