DeSantis appoints State Sen. Ingoglia as Florida chief financial officer to bolster state cabinet
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday appointed state Sen. Blaise Ingoglia as Florida's chief financial officer, gaining more control over the state Cabinet and potentially setting up a proxy battle in 2026 with President Donald Trump.
DeSantis called Ingoglia, a Spring Hill Republican whose social media handle is "," a warrior on issues such as immigration and insurance and "the most conservative senator in the state of Florida."
"Yes, he's got a great financial record, which is important, but I looked even broader than that," DeSantis said during an event at the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay. "I want to see who's running towards these fights and who's running and hiding. And every single time we've had a flash point in Florida, Blaise is running into battle."
DeSantis added that Ingoglia, a former chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, will be a "really important voice" in the governor's push to pass a constitutional amendment in 2026 to reduce property taxes.
The chief financial officer's position opened this spring when former CFO Jimmy Patronis successfully ran in a special election for a congressional seat. The CFO is one of three Cabinet positions elected statewide, along with the attorney general and agriculture commissioner. DeSantis chairs Cabinet meetings.
Ingoglia wants to call out "wasteful spending," while opponents call him an "insurance industry lackey"
Ingoglia said his initial goals will include focusing on property taxes, housing affordability and reviewing local government spending.
"With the audit authority at the CFO's office, I promise you, we are going to start digging in, and we are going to start calling out some of this wasteful spending," Ingoglia said.
But the liberal group DeSantis Watch issued a statement Wednesday calling Ingoglia, who has chaired the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee, an "insurance industry lackey." The CFO oversees the state Department of Financial Services and also helps regulate the insurance industry.
"Floridians have been crushed by predatory insurance corporations who have been jacking up their rates and refusing to pay legitimate claims and they need a chief financial officer who will actually do the job of holding them accountable when they take advantage of policyholders," Anders Croy, communications director for DeSantis Watch, said in the statement.
The appointment likely will lead to a Republican primary battle in 2026 between Ingoglia and Sen. Joe Gruters, a Sarasota Republican who is running for CFO with support from Trump. Gruters is also a former state Republican chairman.
DeSantis clashed early this year with legislative leaders about immigration issues, and Ingoglia was one of a few lawmakers who publicly sided with the governor. Also, amid a legislative impasse this spring about budget and tax issues, Ingoglia stood behind DeSantis' call for cutting property taxes — an idea that did not pass.
Rep. Juan Carlos Porras, a Miami Republican, said on the social-media platform X that DeSantis' appointment of Ingoglia "has single-handedly once again divided the Republican Party because his own ego cannot allow him to support President (Donald Trump) and his backed candidates like Joe Gruters."
Asked about Gruters' endorsement by Trump, DeSantis questioned Gruters' votes on several issues and said his record is "contrary to what we've told the voters that we would do."
"If George Washington rose from the dead, came back and tapped me on the shoulder and said, 'Will you appoint Joe Gruters CFO?' My response would be, 'No, I can't do that without betraying the voters that elected me to lead the state in a conservative direction,'" DeSantis said.
DeSantis continues building out his cabinet
Wednesday's announcement means that two of the three Cabinet positions will be held by DeSantis appointees. In February, DeSantis named James Uthmeier to serve as attorney general, after the governor appointed former Attorney General Ashley Moody to the U.S. Senate. Uthmeier had served as DeSantis' chief of staff.
Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, who was elected in 2024, holds the third Cabinet office.
Ingoglia, a homebuilder, was first elected to the House in 2014 and moved to the Senate in 2022. He served as state Republican chairman from 2015 to 2019, a period that included DeSantis' first run for governor.
A special election will need to be called to fill Ingoglia's Senate seat, which represents Citrus, Hernando and Sumter counties and part of Pasco County.
Former Rep. Ralph Massullo, R-Lecanto, announced his intention to run for the seat Wednesday and quickly drew support from DeSantis and the Florida Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee.
DeSantis still needs to appoint a lieutenant governor. That office has been vacant since February, when Jeanette Nunez left to become interim president — and, ultimately, president — of Florida International University.
