Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ recently announced state-level Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE) task force has been met with skepticism by economists.
Newsweek has contacted DeSantis’ office for comment via email.
Why It Matters
Questions have been raised about whether DeSantis following Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk’s federal DOGE initiative was a genuine cost-cutting move or a way to appease the president and his loyal MAGA supporters.
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What to Know
DeSantis’ office announced the creation of a Florida-level DOGE task force on Monday.
The governor said the DOGE team will “eliminate waste” within state government, save taxpayers money and ensure accountability in Florida.
Over the course of one year, DeSantis said Florida’s DOGE team will work towards removing around 70 boards and commissions, cutting 900 positions and seeking independent reviews and audits of spending at universities and colleges.
DeSantis added that the task force will utilize artificial intelligence technology to uncover “hidden waste” in state spending and will also audit local entities to “shine the light on waste and bloat.”
William Luther, an associate professor of economics at Florida Atlantic University, told Newsweek that while it was still early to speculate, any potential savings from DeSantis’ plans could be “relatively small” in relation to Florida’s overall state budget
Luther said Florida’s government is much more “efficient” than other large states, such as New York or California, which is why Floridians have one of the lowest tax burdens in the U.S.
States like New York and California, where tax burdens are much higher, have “much more room for improvement” than Florida, Luther added.
This doesn’t mean that DeSantis’ plans are not worthwhile, Luther said. Even if the governor’s DOGE plans only yield a 1 percent change, this could result in a significant rebate paid to each Florida resident, especially for lower-income families.
Abigail Hall Blanco, an assistant professor of economics at the University of Tampa,said there is a “certain irony” in DeSantis ordering the “creation of a government bureaucracy to try and cut government bureaucracy.” Florida already has a Government Efficiency Task Force that meets every four years to recommend spending cuts.
She also questioned the lack of transparency about what would constitute “unnecessary” spending.
She added it is “remarkably unclear” if any cuts will result in taxpayer savings, or if Florida’s recent budget surpluses may turn into deficits unless spending is decreased or taxes are raised.
“This order scores obvious political points, but the economic score will be determined later,” Blanco told Newsweek.
An October 2024 report from nonprofit Florida TaxWatch projected that a $2.1 billion surplus in fiscal year 2025-26 could turn into a $6.9 billion deficit by fiscal year 2027-28 if Florida’s “spending growth continues unchecked.”
What People Are Saying
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, in a Monday statement: “Florida has set the standard for fiscally conservative governance, and our new Florida DOGE task force will do even more to serve the people of Florida. It will eliminate redundant boards and commissions, review state university and college operations and spending, utilize artificial intelligence to further examine state agencies to uncover hidden waste, and even audit the spending habits of local entities to shine the light on waste and bloat.”
William Luther, associate professor of economics at Florida Atlantic University, told Newsweek: “Governor DeSantis’s DOGE efforts are like adjusting your training to shave a few seconds off of an 8-minute mile, whereas similar efforts in New York or California would be like attempting a couch-to-5k.
“Of course, small relative to the state’s budget does not imply small relative to household budgets. And small improvements in government efficiency can be meaningful, especially for the least well-off. Each Floridian transfers around $3,500 to their state each year. Suppose improved efficiency resulted in a 1 percent rebate paid to each resident. That’s the equivalent of 25 hours for a minimum wage worker—and 100 hours for a family of four. Moreover, those efficiency gains—to the extent that they are genuinely efficiency gains—do not result in reduced government services. In other words, it is worth improving efficiency even if the overall savings is small.”
Abigail Hall Blanco, assistant professor of economics at the University of Tampa, told Newsweek: “Depending on what is found and subsequently cut, the outcome of this order may be a reduction in government spending and, ultimately, savings for Florida taxpayers—but that’s remarkably unclear at this point. This order scores obvious political points, but the economic score will be determined later.
“The order makes several mentions of cutting ‘unnecessary’ spending at all levels of government. But there is no clear metric of determining necessity, much less of who is making the call of what is ‘necessary’ or ‘unnecessary.’ This means that someone or some group will have to be the ultimate judge, which raises legitimate concerns regarding whether programs and personnel would be cut due to a true desire to cut waste or to obtain political or other goals.”
Eric Daugherty, assistant news director at conservative news site Florida’s Voice, in a February 24 post on X, formerly Twitter: “OMG. Look what Ron DeSantis just announced in Florida. Their own DOGE task force. This is brilliant.”
What Happens Next
The Florida DOGE team will conclude its work until March 2026. DeSantis said during a Monday press conference that further information on who will be part of the task force will be released in the coming days.
