Florida needs the lieutenant governor, not a DOGE commissioner
Next November, under a proposal being considered by state lawmakers, Florida voters may have the chance to eliminate the office of the lieutenant governor and replace it with a 'commissioner of government efficiency.' If the thought of restructuring the line of succession for governor alarms you, you're not alone.
As a fiscal conservative, I think this is a pointless exercise. It's an unnecessary change that doesn't really shrink government.
The proposed amendment (HJ1325) would create a commissioner of government efficiency that would 'audit, investigate and report on fraud, waste and abuse' in the executive branch and in local governments and special districts. If the state Legislature passes it, the amendment would go on the November 2026 ballot.
The last time the lieutenant governor's job was abolished was in 1885. For more than 80 years after that, Florida operated without a lieutenant governor. In 1968, Florida reestablished the lieutenant governor's office.
Constitutionally speaking, the lieutenant governor's main job is to be ready to serve if the governor dies. Some say that's a mostly superfluous role that can easily be handed to someone else. I say it's pretty important.
Plus, the state already has the Government Efficiency Task Force. We don't need a new cabinet-level position on governmental efficiency. The task force, created by constitutional amendment in 2006, meets every four years to develop recommendations to improve governmental operations and reduce costs. If the measure to eliminate the lieutenant governor's position passes, that task force would also be eliminated.
State Rep. John Snyder, R-Stuart, who filed the bill, told the House Government Operations Subcommittee that the amendment is in 'the spirit of the national conversation that is going on right now about reducing the size and scope of government, creating more efficiencies in our government operations, making sure that our citizens are well served and that the taxpayer dollars are well spent.'
The proposal comes as the lieutenant governor's post is vacant; Jeanette Nunez resigned from the job to become interim president of Florida International University, and Gov. Ron DeSantis has indicated he'll wait until after the legislative session ends to appoint someone new.
I support cutting waste, fraud and abuse from government spending. Who doesn't? However, when it overrides good governance, I have to draw a line.
Every four years, Floridians vote for a governor and lieutenant governor on one ticket. That system has worked since 1968.
In 1998, it was needed. Gov. Lawton Chiles died in office with 23 days left in his term. Lt. Gov. Buddy McKay assumed the governorship until Jeb Bush, who had already won the gubernatorial election, took office that January.
If the concern is that the lieutenant governor lacks responsibilities, give them more. Instead of creating a new DOGE commissioner, task the lieutenant governor with overseeing efforts on government efficiency. Under the constitution, the governor has the power to do that.
Five states — Arizona, Maine, New Hampshire, Oregon and Wyoming — operate without lieutenant governors. But those states don't have 23 million residents, an economy with a $1.3 trillion GDP and 67 counties. The Sunshine State needs a clear second in command.
Replacing the lieutenant governor with another cabinet member under the ambiguous title 'commissioner of government efficiency' is a political gimmick disguised as fiscal conservatism. Spending money to create a new position and abolish an old one doesn't make fiscal sense.
If Florida Republicans truly value government efficiency, they should empower the next lieutenant governor to root out waste — not waste time and tax dollars pursuing a constitutional amendment that will require voter buy-in and take months to implement, if it even meets the required 60% vote by Floridians to pass.
I fully support making Florida's government more efficient. Let's start by giving the lieutenant governor more to do, rather than spending more money for a statewide vote to abolish one office and create another.
Mary Anna Mancuso is a member of the Miami Herald Editorial Board. Her email: mmancuso@miamiherald.com
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