DeSantis appoints Senate ally Ingoglia as Florida CFO
State Rep. Blaise Ingoglia speaks at the Florida State Capitol, March 9, 2022, in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, file)
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has chosen a conservative legislative ally as Florida chief financial officer, a statewide elected position vacated when Jimmy Patronis ran successfully for Congress in a special election this year.
The new CFO is state Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, a 54-year-old homebuilder and occasional professional poker player from the Tampa Bay area. Ingoglia will serve the remainder of Patronis’ term and could run for reelection in 2026, where he would likely face GOP state Sen. Joe Gruters, who has been endorsed by President Donald Trump.
DeSantis said at a news conference Wednesday that Ingoglia has been a stalwart supporter of the GOP agenda in the state Senate and would focus as CFO on issues such as property tax relief, insurance affordability and audits of local governments to uncover wasteful spending.
“I am going to be a proactive fiscal watchdog for Florida,” Ingoglia said. “I’ve had a history of calling out wasteful spending, whether it’s Democrats or Republicans.”
Ingoglia is originally from the New York City borough of Queens and moved to Florida in 1996, according to his biography. He previously served in the state House and is a former chair of the state Republican Party. He was first elected to the state Senate in 2022.
Patronis now represents a congressional district in the Florida Panhandle that was vacated by Matt Gaetz before his ill-fated attempt to become Trump’s attorney general.