Florida CFO Race Is Tied at 43-43 Heading Into Tuesday, With Insurance Costs at the Center
Republican incumbent Blaise Ingoglia and Democrat Annette Taddeo are tied at 43 percent apiece with 10 percent undecided in a James Madison Institute poll, USA TODAY Network-Florida reported - and the state's chief financial officer, who also serves as State Fire Marshal and sits on the Florida Cabinet, will be chosen Tuesday, Nov. 3.
On Tuesday, Nov. 3, Florida voters will decide who serves as Florida Chief Financial Officer for the next four years: Republican incumbent Blaise Ingoglia of Spring Hill, the former state senator appointed to the post just over a year ago by Gov. Ron DeSantis, or Democratic challenger Annette Taddeo, the former state senator from Miami, USA TODAY Network-Florida reported. A recent statewide poll by the Tallahassee-based conservative think tank James Madison Institute found the two tied at 43 percent apiece with 10 percent undecided.
The job manages the state's finances and, in the description on the Florida Department of Financial Services website, works at "managing the state's finances, rooting out fraud (and) increasing financial transparency." The CFO also serves as State Fire Marshal, leading the division that trains firefighters and fire inspectors at the Florida State Fire College in Ocala, and sits on the Florida Cabinet with the Attorney General and the Commissioner of Agriculture. The CFO is third in line to fill in as governor, behind the lieutenant governor and the attorney general.
Insurance is the fight's center. Taddeo accused Ingoglia of accepting campaign contributions from developers tied to proposed data centers - both candidates say they oppose data centers in Florida - and of being lax in holding insurance companies accountable, saying the office must "follow the money" on insurers. Ingoglia responded that no contributions have changed his beliefs on data centers, and on insurance said, as quoted by the network: "My focus is multi-faceted when it comes to insurance. Yes, I'm working to cut down on the fraud, but I'm also fining insurance companies for neglecting policyholders." He accused Taddeo of glossing over that her insurance proposal would, in his account, increase premiums by 72 percent.
Ingoglia's campaign touts more than 1,300 arrests of people accused of involvement in fraud schemes, 22 audits of local governments, 6,100 fraud cases filed with law enforcement, a record $847 million in unclaimed property returned and $2.4 million in fines against 10 insurance companies - figures the campaign itself states. Taddeo pledges a first-100-days report card grading insurers on how fast they answer claims and how much of premiums go to their affiliates, hurricane strike teams on the ground within three to five days, and a public database of state contracts. Duval County voters meet this statewide race on the same ballot they finish casting Tuesday.
