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🧑💼 Who: Walton County Commissioners, Commissioner Brad Drake, Chief Financial Officer Melissa Thomason
📜 What: Passed a resolution to support Florida’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)
📅 When: Tuesday’s commission meeting
📍 Where: Walton County, Florida
❓ Why: To align with Governor Ron DeSantis’ statewide DOGE initiative, ensuring government spending and processes are reviewed for efficiency and accountability
County Commissioners across the panhandle have begun the scramble to be named the first to implement their own Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) programs.
The resolution, which signals Walton County’s willingness to work with the State Government in a way already required by state law, passed unanimously.
DOGE as an idea began at the top, when US President Donald Trump’s tasked advisor Elon Musk with leading an effort to cut waste, fraud, and abuse in the government.
Since then, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has followed suit and announced the creation and implementation of the DOGE program in the Sunshine State.
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What does DOGE have to do with Walton County?
Defuniak Springs Commissioner Brad Drake, a former member of the Florida State House of Representatives, introduced a resolution in Tuesday’s meeting to be one of the first in the panhandle of Florida to begin work on its own Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Drake said he believes “DOGE as an agency aims to place governmental expenditures, processes, and overall existence under the microscope for review.”
A Fiscal Resolution
He added, “So I would like to adopt a resolution that supports Governor DeSantis’ intentions of this type of exercise at the local level to apply specifically to Walton Co.”
Support by the Commissioners was present and initial discussion began regarding the point of contact for Walton County’s DOGE. The Commissioners agreed that everyone on staff would be involved in the review process because the effort would require a comprehensive review. Commissioners agreed Melissa Thomason, Chief Financial Officer for Walton County, will serve as contact for budgetary items and will serve as the primary point of contact for the duration of the project.
Following the passing of the motion by the Commissioners to adopt the resolution, Ms. Thomason told the board that her office had received a letter from the state of Florida requesting a confirmation on the County’s instances of financial emergencies or distress over the past year or anticipated within the next six months. Ms. Thomason was directed to respond from her office with the response that Walton County does not currently have (including the past 12 months) and does not anticipate financial emergencies or distress at this time.
