Staff Reports
Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to make a controversial but expected appointment Wednesday to the vacant Chief Financial Officer position. The Governor will likely choose a close ally in the Florida Legislature over President Donald Trump’s endorsed pick for the job.
Florida Politics learned Blaise Ingoglia, a 54-year-old Republican from Spring Hill who previously served in the House and as Chair of the Republican Party of Florida, will fill the vacancy.
DeSantis will announce his choice at a high-profile news conference in Tampa.
Besides his work in politics, Ingoglia works as a homebuilder, and founded Hartland Homes. Before that, the Queens native founded America One Mortgage, a company dedicated to helping first-time home buyers.
He is also a professional and internationally ranked poker player
The Cabinet post was left open earlier this year by former Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis when he ran for Congress. Ingoglia has long been loyal to DeSantis, backing him in the 2024 GOP presidential Primary over President Trump. He served as a key liaison lobbying members of the Florida Senate to endorse DeSantis ahead of the Iowa caucuses.
Ingoglia also chaired Friends of Ron DeSantis, a Florida committee that ultimately raised millions that would eventually fuel DeSantis’ presidential ambitions. The committee controversially transferred $82.5 million to the federal Don’t Back Down, a super PAC closely aligned with DeSantis’ presidential campaign.
The Ingoglia pick could further imperil DeSantis in Trump’s eyes, considering Ingoglia was RPOF Chair in 2016, the first time Trump ran. He also chaired the state party in 2018, when DeSantis narrowly won his first term as Governor over Democrat Andrew Gillum by a recount margin.
Ingoglia was rumored for months to be the top choice by DeSantis, though the calculus was complicated by Trump endorsing state Sen. Joe Gruters of Sarasota ahead of the 2026 Election. Gruters already filed for the seat last year.
Yet, while DeSantis has worked hard to rebuild a relationship with Trump, frayed by his unsuccessful run for the presidency in 2023 and early 2024, he stopped short of picking the President’s preferred candidate for the open position.
Fundraising is underway with DeSantis’ pick, even as Ingoglia’s appointment isn’t yet official.
Gruters, who also chaired the RPOF, has roughly $340,000 cash on hand in his campaign account and roughly $577,000 in his “Friends of Joe Gruters” political committee.
Ingoglia has nearly $1.5 million in his “Friends of Blaise Ingoglia” political committee, but has no active campaign account.
However, with Trump having his favorite in the race, Ingoglia and the DeSantis machine will have to ramp up their efforts. Especially since polling shows Gruters ahead of Ingoglia when GOP voters are aware of Trump’s preferences.
The CFO race will be just one to watch on the August 2026 Primary ballot, with Trump-favorite Rep. Byron Donalds thus far the only serious candidate on the GOP side, though First Lady Casey DeSantis, Sen. Jay Collins, and others have eyed a run.
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A.G. Gancarski, Jacob Ogles, and Peter Schorsch contributed reporting.
