St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch (C) speaks during the 2025 St Pete Pride flag raising at City Hall. (Photo by Dylan Todd)
The City of St. Petersburg is the next target of the state of Florida’s Department of Government Efficiency efforts.
In a nine-page letter dated Aug. 1, state auditors say that among the programs the city has implemented that they want more information about are those addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion; transportation; homelessness; and the environment — or, as described in the letter, “The Green New Deal.”
The letter alleges that St. Pete taxpayers have seen their annual burden from property taxes increase by “over $95 million in the past six years, an increase of over 75%.”
Is that accurate? The city isn’t saying.
“We have received a follow-up letter from the State Division of Governmental Oversight and Efficiency and are reviewing it carefully,” Mayor Ken Welch said in a written statement. “The City of St. Petersburg will fully cooperate, providing any additional information or clarification as requested.”
DEI in the crosshairs
Officials from Broward County and Gainesville — the first two local governments targeted by Florida DOGE last month — said that the state had erred in some of its calculations about the level of local spending in the letters they received.
Regarding St. Petersburg’s DEI programs, the first ask by DOGE auditors is to find out “all jobs with the responsibility to advance diversity, equity and inclusion, or so-called anti-racism, whether or not within the Office of Equity or elsewhere.”
Officials also want to see “all official goals, policy statements, mission statements, positions, or commitments made by any office or department within St. Petersburg that included diversity, equity or inclusion, and all actions taken by those offices or department in support of those activities.”
Florida DOGE also wants to know of the names and qualifications of those who conducted DEI training and the names of those who attended those trainings.
Targeting the environment
Regarding environmental initiatives, during former Mayor Rick Kriseman’s administration the city signed a pledge to transition from fossil fuels and toward a 100% renewable, zero-emissions energy future. Now Florida DOGE wants any documentation related to that pledge and all expenses associated with attempting to reach that goal.
In January 2019, the city was selected to participate in the American Cities Climate Challenge, an initiative backed by Bloomberg Philanthropies to tackle climate change and promote a sustainable future. Florida DOGE is now requesting “all actions, communications and expenditures to date in support” of that program.
And officials would like to know of any purchases or leases of electric vehicles (EV), “EV infrastructure, energy purchases associated with EV infrastructure, solar power systems, carbon credits, carbon charges, or other reduction mechanisms. ”
Mayor Welch added that “we will address any questions that may arise from the State’s process and move forward with clarity and accountability in the best interest of the residents of St. Petersburg.”
‘This is serious’
Some city council members expressed concern upon learning of the DOGE requests.
“This is serious. There’s a major chance that funding for DEI roles and parades can be cut,” said St. Petersburg City Councilmember Corey Givens Jr., referring to funding the city gives every year to the Martin Luther King Jr. Day and St Pete Pride events.
Tampa Bay-area state Democratic Rep. Michele Rayner ripped the DeSantis administration after learning of the audit, scheduled to take place on Aug. 13 and 14.
“This isn’t fiscal oversight, it’s political retaliation. And the cost falls on working families who depend on local services to survive and thrive,” Rayner said in a statement. “If we’re serious about responsible budgeting, we should be solving Florida’s housing and insurance crisis, investing in strong public education, and working around the clock to bring down everyday costs. That’s how we build a Florida that works for all of us.”
She went on to say that if Desantis and Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia “were serious about reducing wasteful spending and helping working-class Floridians, they would start with cutting all tax breaks to billionaires and publicly traded companies, then they would help underserved communities throughout the state recover from storms and work to fix our state’s broken insurance system so people can still afford to live here.”
DOGE emerged from a DeSantis executive order and legislation signed by the governor earlier this year. Failure by municipal leaders to cooperate could bring costly fines.
This story is courtesy of Florida Phoenix.
Florida Phoenix is a nonprofit news site, free of advertising and free to readers, covering state government and politics with a staff of five journalists located at the Florida Press Center in downtown Tallahassee. Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
