Florida has a new CFO. What does the job entail?

Florida has a new chief financial officer.

Blaise Ingoglia was sworn into the position on Monday.

Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed him after a three-and-a-half-month vacancy in the position. The former CFO, Jimmy Patronis, was elected to the United States Congress.

Who is Blaise Ingoglia?

The Spring Hill Republican most recently served in the state Senate, where he acted as an ally of the governor.

While DeSantis and the Legislature butted heads this year, Ingoglia continually vouched for the governor and sponsored a number of initiatives the governor backed, such as strict immigration enforcement and property tax overhaul.

"I'm confident he's going to be a bold CFO, because he has been bold and has delivered meaningful results to people when he's been in office," DeSantis said.

ALSO READ: DeSantis appoints Senate ally Blaise Ingoglia as Florida's chief financial officer

Ingoglia was also once the chair of the Republican Party of Florida.

But so was Sen. Joe Gruters of Sarasota.

President Donald Trump endorsed Gruters for the position. Gruters has been a long-time loyal voice for Trump, supporting him in the 2024 presidential primary when most legislative Republicans backed DeSantis.

This sets the stage for a politically charged battle. The CFO position opens up in the 2026 election, and Ingoglia would have to beat Gruters and other challengers to keep it.

Meanwhile, Democrats spoke out against Ingoglia's appointment last week.

Florida House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell of Tampa said in a statement that Ingoglia would be more loyal to DeSantis than his constituents.

"I believe Blaise Ingoglia will talk tough but continue the tradition of giving the insurance companies everything they ask for while Florida's working families and seniors pay the price," Driskell said.

Taking questions from reporters after he was sworn in, Ingoglia said he didn't intend to let insurance companies off the hook.

"We are going to watch insurance companies and make sure that they are doing what they're contractually obligated to do, paying out on the claims," he said. "If they're slow rolling stuff, we're going to have conversations with them."

He added: "I'm not going to allow anyone to game the system, whether it is on one side or the other side, whether it is trial attorneys gaming the system or insurance companies gaming the system."

What does the CFO do?

The CFO is one of four Florida Cabinet positions.

It's the newest, officially coming to the state in 2003 after voters approved a 1998 constitutional amendment restructuring the Cabinet, which makes various executive branch decisions.

As CFO, Ingoglia will lead the Department of Financial Services. According to its website, it has more than 2,000 employees in its dozen divisions.

Ingoglia is responsible for overseeing the state's finances, insurance regulation, and even fire safety enforcement.

More on Ingoglia's goals

DeSantis' Monday remarks about Ingoglia went substantially longer than Ingoglia's speech.

The governor said the new CFO would make sure local governments are "wisely" spending money: "You better buckle up, because there's a new sheriff in town," he said.

DeSantis added that Ingoglia would continue to advocate for slicing the property tax, something voters would ultimately have to approve on the ballot.

He also said Ingoglia would be "cracking down" on insurance company fraud.

"Blaise is going to be watching this like a hawk," DeSantis said.

The practices of property insurers were a hot topic at the beginning of the 2025 legislative session, but legislative attention ultimately fizzled out.

Ingoglia said Monday he's "planning on hitting the ground running."

"You are not going to see anyone fight harder for the taxpayer, for the consumer, than I will," he said.

If you have any questions about state government or the legislative process, you can ask the Your Florida team by clicking here.

This story was produced by WUSF as part of a statewide journalism initiative funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

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