Janelle Irwin Taylor
Dozens of elected officials from the greater Tampa Bay area are endorsing Blaise Ingoglia for Chief Financial Officer, his campaign announced.
The list includes local Sheriffs, members of the Legislature, elected officials from county and city government, School Board members and more.
U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis headlines the list.
“Since day 1 — Blaise has been a conservative fighter standing with President Donald Trump and Governor Ron DeSantis against the corrupt establishment and the corporate media. I am proud to be on Team Blaise, a candidate with bold vision and unwavering principles,” he said.
State Sen. Ed Hooper also offered his support, saying Floridians “deserve someone who will fight for them everyday.”
“Blaise Ingoglia has done that in the Legislature, is doing it as appointed Chief Financial Officer, and will continue doing it once elected. He has my endorsement to continue preserving and protecting our state’s financial resources as CFO,” said Hooper, who serves as one of the most powerful figures in the Legislature as the Senate Appropriations Committee Chair.
Sheriffs from throughout the region and beyond are also lending their support to Ingoglia, who was appointed to the position by DeSantis in July.
“In the Legislature, Blaise was fearless in his support of law enforcement. As Florida’s Chief Financial Officer, he continues to support our law enforcement community and all first responders in their efforts to keep us all safe. I am proud to endorse him,” Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said.
Added Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri: “In the Florida Senate, Blaise Ingoglia proved himself an unshakable leader by putting the safety of Floridians first. Blaise not only worked to keep our schools safe, he protected our communities from criminal illegal aliens and provided critical support to law enforcement officers across the state. I am proud to endorse him for Chief Financial Officer.”
And Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco agreed that Ingoglia is good for law enforcement and first responders.
“He is also a strong defender of our hardworking taxpayers, and I look forward to his work ensuring tax dollars are spent efficiently and effectively,” Nocco added.
Ingoglia said he was grateful for the support, adding that he “will not let Floridians down,” including by “holding insurers accountable, cutting property taxes, and ridding government of waste, fraud and abuse.”
“Floridians are demanding action to make Florida more affordable; they need relief to help make ends meet. I’ve worked tirelessly for tax relief and deregulation, immigration reform, election integrity, public safety, and for law enforcement and first responders,” he said.
Other endorsers include:
— State Sen. Nick DiCeglie.
— State Rep. Daniel Alvarez.
— State Rep. Adam Anderson.
— State Rep. James Buchanan.
— State Rep. JJ Grow.
— State Rep. Jeff Holcomb.
— State Rep. Berny Jacques.
— State Rep. Fiona McFarland.
— State Rep. Danny Nix, Jr.
— State Rep. Michael Owen.
— State Rep. Will Robinson.
— State Rep. John Temple.
— State Rep. Bill Connerly.
— State Rep. Brad Yeager.
— Manatee County Sheriff Rick Wells.
— Sarasota County Sheriff Kurt Hoffman.
— Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis.
— Citrus County Sheriff David Vincent.
— Sumter County Sheriff Pat Breeden.
— Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano.
— Pasco County Commissioner Ron Oakley.
— Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey.
— Pasco County Commissioner Seth Weighman.
— Pasco County Commissioner Lisa Yeager.
— Hernando County Commissioner John Allocco.
— Hernando County Commissioner Jerry Campbell.
— Hernando County Commissioner Steve Champion.
— Hernando County Commissioner Brian Hawkins.
— Hillsborough County Commissioner Josh Wostal.
— Pasco County Schools Superintendent John Legg.
— Pasco County Property Appraiser Mike Wells.
— Hernando County School Board member Kayce Hawkins.
— Hernando County School Board member Mark Johnson.
— Hernando County School Board member Shannon Rodriguez.
— Citrus County School Board member Thomas Kennedy.
No Democrat has filed against, but the party is expected to run a full slate of candidates for statewide office next year. Only one Democrat has ever won election as Chief Financial Officer since the position was created in 2002. Alex Sink won office in 2006 and served a single term.
But registered Democrats outnumbered Republicans at the time. The latest data from the Division of Elections shows Republicans outnumber Democrats by more than 1.3 million right now.
