July 18, 2025 • 10 mins
Florida's New CFO & Chief Fire Marshall Blaise Ingoglia On His Agenda For Florida
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
The news.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
You need to start your day in the bomb Beach
is at the Treasure Ghost.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
This is the Brian Mud Show.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Yeah, sure enough, and it is a pleasure to bring
you a gentleman who has been very effective, very active
in Florida's political scene for quite some time and has
undertaken get a new role as Florida's new CFO and
Chief Fire Marshall, we have Blaize and Golia joining us. Blaze, congratulations,
(00:34):
Good morning, thank you, sir.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
Good morning.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
All right. So you do have this depth of expertise.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
You were in the state legislature, in the House and
the Senate. You also are the form chair of the
Republican Party of Florida. With everything that you have achieved
in the legislature, your success politically as well for that matter,
with the incredible success of the Republican Party in the
state of Florida, what is your agenda coming into the
(01:02):
COFO office?
Speaker 3 (01:06):
Great question, my question. My number one goal is to
protect taxpayers, protect consumers, and the big things we're going
to be concentrating on. First and foremost is make sure
that we deliver work with the governor, deliver real property
tax relief with the goal of eliminating property taxes for
homesteaded properties. We are going to be hitting the road
(01:29):
a lot talking about taxes. The property taxes have risen
astronomically over the past five years. The old homestead exemption
really doesn't work anymore, so we're going to offer them
to release. The second thing is that I want to
make sure that we are checking local governments. The cfo's
(01:50):
office has the ability to audit any governmental entity, any
entity really that receives stay taxpayer money, and local governments
are expanding their budgets, you know, almost double over the
past five years, and citizens fase for that in property taxes. Now,
my job is to make sure that they are not
(02:13):
having a lot of waste, fraud, and abuse. We really
don't want any so our ability to audit those governments
will hold local people accountable. And the last thing that
we want to do is make sure that we are
holding insurance companies accountable if they don't do what they
are contractually obligated to do. We've had insurance issues here
(02:35):
in the state of Florida, where a state at the
peninsula jutting out into the Gulf and the Ocean, we
get hit a lot, but we've had a pretty litigious
environment here to reform over the past couple of years
have helped bend the cost curve down. But this probably
still more that we can do. But I'm going to
(02:57):
make sure that insurance companies don't do what they supposed
to be doing. They're going to be held accountable.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
As you hear Blaze talk about that, if you're not aware,
he was a central figure in the state legislature in
crafting the litigation re reform measures that have curbed the
property insurance crisis and of course most recently citizens down
to about half the policy account that it was at
its peak during the crisis. Blaize a couple of things
(03:23):
there that I mean, look, you'd be a hero to
me and I know many others in the state if
you're able to achieve. I want to pick up on
the property tax piece. So the first question comes down.
You have the proposal that have been out there and
that is being sought to be able to get on
ballots next year for voters to vote on to change
(03:44):
the state constitution. What is the level of detail are
we talking about as you make your push for ending
property taxes?
Speaker 1 (03:52):
Are we talking about for homestead of properties? Are we
talking about all property types.
Speaker 3 (03:58):
So I don't think there's enough revenue to get rid
of all property taxes. We would have to replace it
with a much larger sales tax to be a state
sales tax to be added on top. So we're most
likely looking at homesteaded properties only. That is what our
goal is now. We also we have to do a
lot of number crunching with There are analysts looking at
(04:21):
it right now. I know that Governor's people looking at
it right now. My people in my office, cfo's office
will be looking at it also. So we're going to
see how we can achieve eliminating property taxes for home
steaded properties only. Now, what the governor said, do you
really own your home if you're constantly paying to the government,
And that is a philosophical question. I think we're going
(04:44):
to try to answer it. But at the very least everyone,
everyone who's listening to me right now, there will be
a constitutional amendment on the ballot next November that will
ask voters for real significant property tax really that is
an additional home seat exemption anywhere between one hundred hundred
(05:04):
and fifty thousand dollars home set exemption or whether it's
getting rid of property taxes for homesteader property altogether, there
will be that question on the ballot that I can
assure you.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
Amen, that's the best news I've heard in a long time.
So that's I love hearing that with the level of
confidence with which you deliver, because, yeah, I mean, as
you point out, and is something I've talked about for
twenty seven years now.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
You know, when the topic comes up, you.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
Know, we would all, you know, tell somebody, go pund
sand and tell them they're insane if we had to
pay residual taxes for everything we have inside of our
home on an annualized basis. Yet we have the situation
where we don't do that, but the we can keep
our stuff, but the house itself we will lose and
e repossessed if we don't do the same thing. So
it's absolutely, as I think, foundationally unsound. It's just something
(05:53):
that we've been conditioned to accept for a very long
time in this country. And so of course the question
come back and you address this with the focus on
homesteaded properties, about revenue, and so you know that every
taxing authority in the state of Florida is going to
cry poor foul say that there's no way they're going
to be able to make this work and sales taxes
(06:14):
are going to be unaffordable. So two questions for you,
and I know it's early you're studying this, do you
know the level of which sales taxes would need to
rise to compensate for what you're talking about here or
having a ballpark on that? And secondarily, how is it
that you intend to address the concerns of all these
taxing authorities?
Speaker 3 (06:35):
So we don't know if we have to add any
sales tax whatsoever. That's why we're going to be studying
this issue. You know a lot of the smaller counties
and there's nothing to worry about there. I think we
can eliminate their home seaded property taxes pretty easily at
the state. At the state level, but we're working off
(06:56):
of the assumption when people ask that question, that the
level of taxingation or local governments at its current level
is actually warranted. So the first thing we have to
do is like cut local government back to where it
really should be, and that maybe ten fifteen percent less
than what their budgets are right now. And if you
do that, then you may not even need to supplant
(07:20):
any income anywhere else. So the question that the second
question you have revolves around you're starting with and it's
not you, the local governments and everyone is starting with
the assumption that they need all that tax revenue anyway,
So you have to replace revenue that they really didn't
(07:42):
need or are using effectively anyway. So I think when
governments cry poor, they're trying to keep the status quo.
But the status quo is over taxation. So we're not
going to start off with the faulty assumption that the
amount of taxing level that they're at right now is
what we're going to work with.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
Love the answer all the way around.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Now obviously talked about the financial side of things, are
the chief fire marshal as well?
Speaker 1 (08:08):
What are your objectives as you take a look at
that side of the job.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
Yeah, I have been one of the biggest proponents of
our fire service industry in the state legislature. I was
the one that helped get PTSD for our first responders
across the finish line pass into law. I sponsored the
bill that did cancer presumption for our firefighters and passed
(08:34):
that into the law. The issue with firefighters with me,
the biggest thing is twofold. Number one is that fires
that we fight today are not the same as when
we fought them fifty years ago. Fifty years ago it
was wood and concrete. Today, firefighters when they walk into
a burning structure, it's all toxic plastics that are melting
(08:55):
and they're inhaling it. And these firefighters are getting a
lung cancer because of it. That bothers me. So we
need to protect the firefighters because it's the right thing
to do. We can't ask them to be the heroes
of our community, work into a burning structure and inhale
ammonias and plastics and then if they get cancer, just
(09:15):
send them off to their merry way. No, we need
to take care of them. The second part is that
and this goes past fire service, but it also goes
to police also police end deputies. The rate of suicide
amongst our first responders is scary. It is getting to
epidemic proportions. So we need to take care of our
(09:38):
firefighters and our cops when it comes to mental health,
because they're the ones that are seeing the depravity and
all of the tragedies, and it's sitting with them to
a point where a lot of them are committing suicide.
We don't have to see it, but they do, so
we need to take care of them.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
Is CFO and Chief Fire Marshall, Blaze and Golia and Blaze,
thank you for the time. I am excited about what
the future holds as you just laid it out. So
best wishes and success to you in our state as
a result.
Speaker 3 (10:15):
Thanks everyone. God blessed.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
I'm blessed. Yeah, you liked it, you liked what you heard.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
I mean to tell you look I mean and everybody knows.
I think that listens to this show. Jimmy Petronis. I
love the man. He's a dear friend. I'm loving what
I'm hearing here from Blaze. That is, if I were
the state CFO, I wouldn't do anything differently, and he's
talking about right there, so it's as much as I
could ask
The news.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
You need to start your day in the bomb Beach
is at the Treasure Ghost.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
This is the Brian Mud Show.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Yeah, sure enough, and it is a pleasure to bring
you a gentleman who has been very effective, very active
in Florida's political scene for quite some time and has
undertaken get a new role as Florida's new CFO and
Chief Fire Marshall, we have Blaize and Golia joining us. Blaze, congratulations,
(00:34):
Good morning, thank you, sir.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
Good morning.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
All right. So you do have this depth of expertise.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
You were in the state legislature, in the House and
the Senate. You also are the form chair of the
Republican Party of Florida. With everything that you have achieved
in the legislature, your success politically as well for that matter,
with the incredible success of the Republican Party in the
state of Florida, what is your agenda coming into the
(01:02):
COFO office?
Speaker 3 (01:06):
Great question, my question. My number one goal is to
protect taxpayers, protect consumers, and the big things we're going
to be concentrating on. First and foremost is make sure
that we deliver work with the governor, deliver real property
tax relief with the goal of eliminating property taxes for
homesteaded properties. We are going to be hitting the road
(01:29):
a lot talking about taxes. The property taxes have risen
astronomically over the past five years. The old homestead exemption
really doesn't work anymore, so we're going to offer them
to release. The second thing is that I want to
make sure that we are checking local governments. The cfo's
(01:50):
office has the ability to audit any governmental entity, any
entity really that receives stay taxpayer money, and local governments
are expanding their budgets, you know, almost double over the
past five years, and citizens fase for that in property taxes. Now,
my job is to make sure that they are not
(02:13):
having a lot of waste, fraud, and abuse. We really
don't want any so our ability to audit those governments
will hold local people accountable. And the last thing that
we want to do is make sure that we are
holding insurance companies accountable if they don't do what they
are contractually obligated to do. We've had insurance issues here
(02:35):
in the state of Florida, where a state at the
peninsula jutting out into the Gulf and the Ocean, we
get hit a lot, but we've had a pretty litigious
environment here to reform over the past couple of years
have helped bend the cost curve down. But this probably
still more that we can do. But I'm going to
(02:57):
make sure that insurance companies don't do what they supposed
to be doing. They're going to be held accountable.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
As you hear Blaze talk about that, if you're not aware,
he was a central figure in the state legislature in
crafting the litigation re reform measures that have curbed the
property insurance crisis and of course most recently citizens down
to about half the policy account that it was at
its peak during the crisis. Blaize a couple of things
(03:23):
there that I mean, look, you'd be a hero to
me and I know many others in the state if
you're able to achieve. I want to pick up on
the property tax piece. So the first question comes down.
You have the proposal that have been out there and
that is being sought to be able to get on
ballots next year for voters to vote on to change
(03:44):
the state constitution. What is the level of detail are
we talking about as you make your push for ending
property taxes?
Speaker 1 (03:52):
Are we talking about for homestead of properties? Are we
talking about all property types.
Speaker 3 (03:58):
So I don't think there's enough revenue to get rid
of all property taxes. We would have to replace it
with a much larger sales tax to be a state
sales tax to be added on top. So we're most
likely looking at homesteaded properties only. That is what our
goal is now. We also we have to do a
lot of number crunching with There are analysts looking at
(04:21):
it right now. I know that Governor's people looking at
it right now. My people in my office, cfo's office
will be looking at it also. So we're going to
see how we can achieve eliminating property taxes for home
steaded properties only. Now, what the governor said, do you
really own your home if you're constantly paying to the government,
And that is a philosophical question. I think we're going
(04:44):
to try to answer it. But at the very least everyone,
everyone who's listening to me right now, there will be
a constitutional amendment on the ballot next November that will
ask voters for real significant property tax really that is
an additional home seat exemption anywhere between one hundred hundred
(05:04):
and fifty thousand dollars home set exemption or whether it's
getting rid of property taxes for homesteader property altogether, there
will be that question on the ballot that I can
assure you.
Speaker 2 (05:13):
Amen, that's the best news I've heard in a long time.
So that's I love hearing that with the level of
confidence with which you deliver, because, yeah, I mean, as
you point out, and is something I've talked about for
twenty seven years now.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
You know, when the topic comes up, you.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
Know, we would all, you know, tell somebody, go pund
sand and tell them they're insane if we had to
pay residual taxes for everything we have inside of our
home on an annualized basis. Yet we have the situation
where we don't do that, but the we can keep
our stuff, but the house itself we will lose and
e repossessed if we don't do the same thing. So
it's absolutely, as I think, foundationally unsound. It's just something
(05:53):
that we've been conditioned to accept for a very long
time in this country. And so of course the question
come back and you address this with the focus on
homesteaded properties, about revenue, and so you know that every
taxing authority in the state of Florida is going to
cry poor foul say that there's no way they're going
to be able to make this work and sales taxes
(06:14):
are going to be unaffordable. So two questions for you,
and I know it's early you're studying this, do you
know the level of which sales taxes would need to
rise to compensate for what you're talking about here or
having a ballpark on that? And secondarily, how is it
that you intend to address the concerns of all these
taxing authorities?
Speaker 3 (06:35):
So we don't know if we have to add any
sales tax whatsoever. That's why we're going to be studying
this issue. You know a lot of the smaller counties
and there's nothing to worry about there. I think we
can eliminate their home seaded property taxes pretty easily at
the state. At the state level, but we're working off
(06:56):
of the assumption when people ask that question, that the
level of taxingation or local governments at its current level
is actually warranted. So the first thing we have to
do is like cut local government back to where it
really should be, and that maybe ten fifteen percent less
than what their budgets are right now. And if you
do that, then you may not even need to supplant
(07:20):
any income anywhere else. So the question that the second
question you have revolves around you're starting with and it's
not you, the local governments and everyone is starting with
the assumption that they need all that tax revenue anyway,
So you have to replace revenue that they really didn't
(07:42):
need or are using effectively anyway. So I think when
governments cry poor, they're trying to keep the status quo.
But the status quo is over taxation. So we're not
going to start off with the faulty assumption that the
amount of taxing level that they're at right now is
what we're going to work with.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
Love the answer all the way around.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Now obviously talked about the financial side of things, are
the chief fire marshal as well?
Speaker 1 (08:08):
What are your objectives as you take a look at
that side of the job.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
Yeah, I have been one of the biggest proponents of
our fire service industry in the state legislature. I was
the one that helped get PTSD for our first responders
across the finish line pass into law. I sponsored the
bill that did cancer presumption for our firefighters and passed
(08:34):
that into the law. The issue with firefighters with me,
the biggest thing is twofold. Number one is that fires
that we fight today are not the same as when
we fought them fifty years ago. Fifty years ago it
was wood and concrete. Today, firefighters when they walk into
a burning structure, it's all toxic plastics that are melting
(08:55):
and they're inhaling it. And these firefighters are getting a
lung cancer because of it. That bothers me. So we
need to protect the firefighters because it's the right thing
to do. We can't ask them to be the heroes
of our community, work into a burning structure and inhale
ammonias and plastics and then if they get cancer, just
(09:15):
send them off to their merry way. No, we need
to take care of them. The second part is that
and this goes past fire service, but it also goes
to police also police end deputies. The rate of suicide
amongst our first responders is scary. It is getting to
epidemic proportions. So we need to take care of our
(09:38):
firefighters and our cops when it comes to mental health,
because they're the ones that are seeing the depravity and
all of the tragedies, and it's sitting with them to
a point where a lot of them are committing suicide.
We don't have to see it, but they do, so
we need to take care of them.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
Is CFO and Chief Fire Marshall, Blaze and Golia and Blaze,
thank you for the time. I am excited about what
the future holds as you just laid it out. So
best wishes and success to you in our state as
a result.
Speaker 3 (10:15):
Thanks everyone. God blessed.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
I'm blessed. Yeah, you liked it, you liked what you heard.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
I mean to tell you look I mean and everybody knows.
I think that listens to this show. Jimmy Petronis. I
love the man. He's a dear friend. I'm loving what
I'm hearing here from Blaze. That is, if I were
the state CFO, I wouldn't do anything differently, and he's
talking about right there, so it's as much as I
could ask
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