Latest news with #CommissionerofGovernmentEfficiency
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
GOP proposal would let Floridians vote to create ‘COGE' auditor to ferret out waste
Billionaire Elon Musk, a senior adviser to President Donald Trump, arrives for a meeting with Senate Republicans at the U.S. Capitol on March 5, 2025. (Photo by) Florida Republicans in the 2025 legislative session are enamored with the idea of duplicating President Trump's and Elon Musk's DOGE system to eliminate perceived waste and fraud in government bureaucracy. That includes a proposal to put a constitutional amendment on the 2026 ballot creating a new Cabinet-level position called the Commissioner of Government Efficiency (COGE). That officer would be elected by the voters to investigate and report on fraud, waste, and abuse in state government. The proposed amendment would eliminate the Florida Auditor General's position, as well the Office of Lieutenant Governor. The House State Affairs Committee approved the joint resolution (HJR 1325) on Thursday morning, but only after an hour of intense questioning by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle as to whether the proposed office was necessary. Brevard County Republican Tyler Siriois, a co-sponsor along with Southeast Florida Republican John Snyder, told the committee that they drew inspiration from the national conversation about the size and scope and efficiency of the federal government. He promised, however, that the office would apply 'more of a scalpel instead of a sledgehammer,' because, he said, Florida already has the smallest state workforce per capita in the country and that it's already run as a 'lean, mean machine.' What makes his proposal different from the federal model, Sirois said, is that the measure comes with an opportunity for voters to repeal the position — although not until 2044. Needless to say, the proposal received strong pushback from Democrats on the committee. 'DOGE, as it currently stands, has been a trainwreck,' said Orlando Democrat Anna Eskamani. 'Look at the federal government, at what Elon Musk has done in firing civil servants for no reason beyond a preference to fire them.' 'DOGE is a hot fire trashcan mess, okay? And it's ruining people's lives and we cannot be aspiring to be something that's such a mess,' said Miami-Dade County Democrat Ashley Gantt. 'I don't think Florida should imitate that.' The legislation says that the COGE will audit and investigate within the executive branch of state government and within cities, counties, and special districts — a provision that worried Eskamani, who is running for mayor of Orlando in 2028. 'We have been going after local governments in multiple committees, tightening the state grip on them and impacting their ability to raise revenue to respond to pay their police and their fire and so forth. So also gives me hesitation, because I do think there's actually a mirror to look at ourselves before we even start holding local governments to a standard that we don't often follow ourselves,' said Eskamani. Under the proposal, if lawmakers pass the resolution in both chambers by the 3/5ths votes required to place it on the ballot next year, and 60% of the voters approve in November 2026, the Speaker of the House and the Senate President would convene a special session of the Legislature to select the new commissioner no later than March 2, 2027. That person would serve until the 2028 election, when voters would fill the position. The office would go up for re-election in 2030, to make it congruent with the elections held in off-years for Florida Cabinet officers. St. Petersburg Democratic Rep. Lindsay Cross said that didn't make much sense to her. 'By that time, maybe we don't like DOGE anymore and there's something else and we wish we would be doing things more efficiently as a Legislature,' she said. 'To me, this seems like artificially creating something that I don't think we need.' But Republicans on the committee insisted there is an overwhelming need to ferret out government waste and that the proposal is just another tool to do just that. Pasco County Republican Randy Maggard noted that committees during this year's legislative session have found excessive spending, and he applauded Sirois and Snyder for their resolution. 'Yeah, we need oversight. Yeah, this is important,' he said. 'This is the taxpayers' money. We should be responsible for that. This conversation is not new,' he said. Duval County Republican Wyman Duggan said that legislators have previously uncovered excess spending and corruption, but they work only part-time. 'Having a full-time government entity looking into these issues in the 13th largest economy, I think, is eminently reasonable.' And he countered that it isn't comparable to what's happening at the federal level with Musk and DOGE, saying the position would be an elected Cabinet-level office, not an appointed department-level office. 'This is going to be at the highest profile level, directly accountable to the people,' he said. The resolution says that if approved, the ballot measure would eliminate the Office of Lieutenant Governor. That position is vacant right now following the resignation last month of Jeanette Nuñez after she was selected as interim president of Florida International University. Several lawmakers on the committee struggled to understand how the succession would work if something happened to the governor. The sponsors replied that the succession would remain as laid out in state statute. Without a lieutenant governor, the next official to take over would be the attorney general, followed by the chief financial officer and the commissioner of agriculture. The Legislature could change that arrangment through implementing legislation should the amendment pass, Sirois and Snyder said. Gov. Ron DeSantis has been touting Elon Musk's efforts and last month issued an executive order creating the Florida State Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE) task force, which he said will work to further eliminate waste within state government, save taxpayers money, and ensure accountability in Florida. The committee passed the proposal mostly along party lines, with Caruso the only Republican to vote no. The resolution will now go to the House floor for a vote. The Senate companion sponsored by Brevard County's Randy Fine (SJR 1756) has two more stops in that chamber before reaching the floor. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Sirois, Snyder propose constitutional amendment to create DOGE-like Florida Cabinet position
Florida House Majority Leader Tyler Sirois filed legislation Thursday to create a new Florida Cabinet-level position to root out and do away with government waste — in effect, a DOGE leader for the Sunshine State. The legislation filed by Sirois, R-Merritt Island, calls for a constitutional amendment that Florida residents would vote on in November 2026 to create a Commissioner of Government Efficiency as an elected Cabinet officer responsible for enhancing government efficiency by preventing waste, fraud and abuse. Sirois' proposal is co-sponsored by Rep. John Snyder, R-Stuart. 'As elected officials, we have a fiduciary responsibility to be good stewards of public funds, recognizing that Florida families work hard and must carefully manage their own household budgets," Snyder said. "Just as they balance their checkbooks, it is critical that government also lives within its means. It requires us to be lean, efficient and transparent, while also planning for the future by setting aside reserves for emergencies. Having an elected voice that is charged with looking at how billions of taxpayer dollars are being spent will help us root out any waste or fraud.' Sirois defends the need for such a position — even though Republicans have been in the governor's mansion and controlled both houses of the Florida Legislature since 1998. Sirois said he believes having a watchdog role in government finances is a continual process — no matter which political party is in power in Tallahassee — and that the mechanism for doing so should be part of the Florida Constitution, thus making it more permanent. He also envisions the new government efficiency Cabinet department using artificial intelligence and other technology to do its work. Sirois' proposal — House Joint Resolution 1325 — follows on the announcement earlier this week by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that he is creating a Florida State Department of Governmental Efficiency task force. DeSantis said the task force would "work to further eliminate waste within state government, save taxpayers money and ensure accountability in Florida." In response, Florida Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, a leading critic of the governor, said: "Let's be clear: The Republican Party has dominated our state government for nearly 30 years, and any inefficiencies are a direct result of their long-standing mismanagement. It's laughable that, after decades in power, they now pretend to know how to fix what they themselves have broken. This is the same governor who has squandered millions defending unconstitutional laws, inflated his budget with unnecessary election police forces, and funneled taxpayer dollars into partisan electioneering. He has no credibility when it comes to improving government efficiency." Eskamani said that "emulating the disorder seen in federal mismanagement under figures like Elon Musk is not only misguided, but dangerous for our state's future." DeSantis has defended his and the Republican-dominated Florida Legislature's efforts to cut waste. He cited, for example, Florida's relatively small state budget compared with New York's budget; reductions in Florida's total debt; and the previous elimination of unneeded boards and commissions. Because Sirois' proposal would change the Florida Constitution, it would have to be approved by three-fifths of the membership of each chamber of the Florida Legislature. The proposed amendment then would have to be approved by 60% of voters in a statewide referendum in 2026. Because of the timeline for implementing constitutional amendments, the first proposed Commissioner of Government Efficiency would not take office until after the 2026 election, and the first commissioner would be appointed by the Florida Legislature, rather than elected by Florida voters. Sirois' proposed constitutional amendment also would eliminate the elected position of lieutenant governor, which is vacant following the appointment earlier this month of then-Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez as interim president of Florida International University. On the federal level, President Donald Trump previously had created a federal Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE, led by senior adviser Elon Musk, a businessman who heads SpaceX, Tesla and the social media site X. Although, Florida's Commissioner of Government Efficiency would not have jurisdiction over county or municipal budgets, the person would have "the power to audit, investigate and report on fraud, waste and abuse" within the executive branch of state government, as well as within counties, municipalities and special districts. The commissioner also would serve as a member of the Florida Cabinet, participating in asset management and administrative oversight functions. The Cabinet currently includes the attorney general, chief financial officer and commissioner of agriculture. If voters approve the constitutional amendment in 2026, under the timeline in the legislation, the first Commissioner of Government Efficiency would be appointed by the Florida Legislature no later than March 2, 2027 — the first day of its 2027 regular session. The first appointee would serve until the 2028 general election, at which point the office would be filled by election for the two remaining years of the term. Starting in 2030, the commissioner would be elected on the same four-year cycle as all other Cabinet members, with a term limit of eight consecutive years. Sirois — whose House district is in Central Brevard County — said the legislation is a product of himself and other leaders of the Florida Legislature, and that DeSantis was not involved in its crafting. Sirois said the office of lieutenant governor — along with the staff for that position — would be eliminated. That, Sirois said, would help free up state budget money for the creation of the Commissioner of Government Efficiency and that person's staff. He said the cost for establishing the new Cabinet position has not been determined. With the current vacancy in the lieutenant governor's position, DeSantis has the power to make an appointment to that office. But he had said he wasn't planning to do so until after the end of the 2025 regular session of the Florida Legislature that begins Tuesday and runs for two months. The Florida Constitution is vague on the role of the lieutenant governor, saying that person performs duties that "shall be assigned by the governor," as well as other duties that "may be prescribed by law." The lieutenant governor also becomes governor is there is a vacancy, impeachment, or physical or mental incapacity involving the governor. Sirois' legislation would modify that, to enable the Florida Legislature to establish a new succession procedure for the governor's position. The legislation also would eliminate the existing Government Efficiency Task Force. Approved by voters in 2006 by an amendment to the Florida Constitution and first established in 2007, the Government Efficiency Task Force is required to meet every four years to develop recommendations to improve governmental operations and reduce costs. If approved by the Florida Legislature and voters, this would be the first change in the composition of the Florida Cabinet since voters approved a constitutional amendment in 1998, reducing the elected Cabinet from six to three members. The amendment merged the Cabinet offices of treasurer and comptroller into one chief financial officer; and made the elected Cabinet positions of secretary of state and education commissioner appointed positions. Sirois' legislation would have a provision to eliminate the Cabinet office of the Commissioner of Government Efficiency if residents don't like it. A proposed constitutional amendment would appear on the ballot in 2044, asking voters if the office should be repealed. If the voters approve the repeal, that would take effect at the end of 2046. DeSantis said the Florida State DOGE Task Force he established Monday by executive order will serve a one-year term. It will have multiple tasks in its efforts to eliminate waste, and will use artificial intelligence and other technologies to do so. He said its tasks will include: Abolishing an additional 70 boards and commissions this year. Conducting a deep dive into all facets of college and university operations and spending, and making recommendations to the Board of Governors and Florida Board of Education to eliminate any wasteful spending. Using artificial intelligence to supplement ongoing efforts to review operations at state agencies and identify more ways to cut unnecessary spending and eliminate bureaucracy. Looking into local government spending by using publicly available county and municipal spending records to expose bloat within local governance. Returning unused or surplus federal dollars allocated to the state. Dave Berman is business editor at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Berman at dberman@ on X at @bydaveberman and on Facebook at This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Sirois, Snyder propose creating DOGE-like Florida Cabinet position
