Will Florida's Doge plans lead to savings? Economists are not sold

The Governor of Florida, Ron Desantis, shortened the Task Force for the State Department of State Efficiency (Doge), which was encountered by economists.

Newsweek Has contacted Desantis's office to get a comment by e -mail.

Why is it important

Questions were raised as to whether Desantis after Donald Trump and Tech billionaire Elon Musks Seate Doge Initiative was a real cost cut or a way to appease the president and his loyal Maga supporters.

What to know?

The Desantis office announced the creation of a Doge-Task Force in Florida on Monday.

The governor said that the Doge team would “eliminate” the waste within the state government, save taxpayers saving money and ensuring the accountability in Florida.

In the course of a year, Desantis said that the Florida team will work towards eliminating around 70 boards and commissions, cutting 900 positions and looking for independent ratings and audits from editions at universities and universities.

Desantis added that the Task Force will use the technology for artificial intelligence to uncover “hidden waste” in state expenditure, and also check local entities in order to “illuminate the light on waste and inflating”.

William Luther, Associate Professor of Economics at Florida Atlantic University, told Newsweek While it was still early to speculate, potential savings from Desantis' plans “relatively small” could be “relatively small” in relation to the total budget of Florida

Luther said

States such as New York and California, in which tax burdens are much higher, have “much more improvement” than Florida, added Luther.

This does not mean that Desantis's plans are not worthwhile, said Luther. Even if the governor's Doge plans are only changed 1 percent, this can lead to a significant discount that is paid to every inhabitant of Florida, especially for families with lower income.

Abigail Hall Blanco, an assistant professor for economics at the University of Tampa, said that there is a “certain irony” in Desantis and “creating a government bureaucracy to lower the government's bureaucracy”. Florida already has a task force from the government efficiency that hits every four years to recommend spending cuts.

She also questioned the lack of transparency what “unnecessary” expenses would be.

She added that it was “remarkably unclear” when cuts lead to tax savings or if the recent budget surpluses in Florida can become deficits, unless the expenses are reduced or increased taxes.

“This order evaluates obvious political points, but the economic score will be determined later,” Blanco told Newsweek.

In a report in October 2024 by non-profit Florida Taxwatch, it was assumed that a surplus of $ 2.1 billion in the financial year 2025-26 until 2027-28 could become a deficit of $ 6.9 billion if Florida's “expenditure growth was still deactivated”.

What people say

The governor of Florida, Ron Desantis, in a statement on Monday: “Florida has set the standard for fiscal conservative governance, and our new task force in Florida Dogy will help to serve people in Florida. Redundant boards and commissions will be eliminated, the state university and university amounts are checked, and the expenditure for artificial intelligence continues to use the state agencies to discover the expenses to light up.

William Luther, extraordinary professor of economics at Florida Atlantic University, told Newsweek: “Governor Desantis' Doge-Lehnung are like adaptation of your training to complete an 8-minute mile for a few seconds, while similar efforts in New York or California would look like a couch-to-5-K acceptance.

“Of course, small relationship to the household of the state does not mean in relation to the budget budget. And only for the slightest level of well-being of the government can state efficiency be important. Each floridian transfers around $ 3,500 to its state every year. Assuming improved efficiency led to a 1 percent vineyard that was paid to every resident. Efficiency gains are – lead to reduced state services.

Abigail Hall Blanco, assistant professor of economy at the University of Tampa, told Newsweek: “Depending on what is found and then reduced, the result of this order can be a reduction in government spending and ultimately savings for taxpayers in Florida – but this is remarkably unclear at this point. This order evaluates obvious political points, but the economic value is later determined.

“The arrangement mentions several mentions to shorten unnecessary expenses at all levels of government. However, there is no clear metric of determining the necessity, let alone who does the call of the call note of what is” necessary “or” unnecessary “. This means that someone or a group of ultimate judges must be legitimate concerns about whether programs and personnel are reduced due to the notice of waste or other goals, be triggered. “

Eric Daugherty, deputy news director at Conservative News Site Florida's voice, in a contribution from February 24 on X, formerly Twitter: “Omg. See what Ron Desantis has just announced in Florida. Her own Doge -Ask Force. This is brilliant.”

What happens next

The Florida Doge team will complete his work by March 2026. Desantis said during a press conference on Monday that further information about who will be part of the Task Force will be published in the coming days.