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•📌 Who: Governor Ron DeSantis, Florida state agencies, university and college systems
•📜 What: Executive Order 25-44 establishes teams to reduce unnecessary government spending and improve efficiency
•📅 When: Effective immediately, expires March 31, 2026
•📍 Where: State of Florida, affecting local governments, state agencies, and educational institutions
•💰 Why: To enhance fiscal responsibility, reduce taxpayer burden, and ensure government efficiency
Governor Ron DeSantis issued Executive Order 25-44 Monday, claiming the measure would identify and eliminate unnecessary government spending at the state and local levels. The order, effective immediately, establishes oversight measures and directs state agencies to use advanced technology to enhance efficiency and cut costs.
Under the order, a new team within the Executive Office of the Governor, called the EO DOGE Team, will be tasked with ensuring compliance and analyzing public data to identify wasteful spending, and work with state education boards to streamline university and college system budgets.
The team will also propose legislative reforms they believe will increase productivity and eliminate state and local government inefficiencies.
The Governor’s executive order requires each state agency to form an Agency DOGE Team, tasked with reviewing expenditures, identifying redundant programs, and assessing federal grants for alignment with state policies.
The agencies must report monthly to the EO DOGE Team until the order expires on March 31, 2026.
The order references the Trump Administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, which was established to use technology to streamline federal operations.
The Board of Governors of the State University System of Florida and the State Board of Education must work with the EO DOGE Team to identify cost-saving opportunities in higher education, including eliminating unnecessary programs, courses, and staff positions.
The executive order mandates that all changes be implemented using existing staff and funding and calls for agencies to employ the most advanced technology available to fulfill its objectives. The EO DOGE Team is required to submit a report with legislative recommendations by September 30, 2025.
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Fried and Democrats Respond to Florida’s DOGE
The Florida Democratic Party criticized the executive order, questioning the administration’s commitment to fiscal responsibility.
“Ron DeSantis needs to shut his damn mouth,” said Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried in a statement. “Republicans have been in total control of Florida’s government for nearly 30 years, and he wants to talk about government waste?”
Fried accused DeSantis of overseeing record-high state budgets and misusing taxpayer funds for political purposes. She cited spending on legal battles over constitutional amendments and immigration-related initiatives as examples of wasteful expenditures.
“We all know this isn’t about reining in spending — it’s about Trump endorsing Byron Donalds instead of Casey DeSantis,” Fried said. “Maybe Ron should have considered the political consequences before he decided to run against the leader of his party for president.”
DeSantis has not responded directly to the Democratic Party’s statement, nor have local legislators as of press time.
