TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida’s affordability debate is now spilling into the Republican primary for chief financial officer. State Rep. Kevin Steele is mounting a challenge against Gov. Ron DeSantis–backed incumbent CFO Blaise Ingoglia.
Steele, one of the wealthiest lawmakers in the Florida Legislature and a staunch ally of former President Donald Trump, says his background as a business executive uniquely positions him to tackle rising insurance costs, property taxes, and what he describes as government inefficiency.
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“That's a big question everybody asks,” Steele said when asked why he wants the job. “I think my entire life has built up to this point. My career and the companies I've built has been around, you know, improving processes, reducing fraud and abuse. But we have a major issue with affordability in the state of Florida, and I think we need to address that issue.”
A former healthcare technology executive who sold his company in 2017, Steele says he would bring a CEO-style mindset to the CFO’s office — leaning on technology, internal audits, and what he calls “out-of-the-box” thinking to cut waste at both the state and local levels.
“I think it's because you think outside the box,” Steele said. “If you're the smartest person in the room, you're doing something wrong.”
Steele argues there is significant government spending that could be reduced without harming Floridians on the local and state level. He’s backing one of the Florida House’s most aggressive property tax reform bills this session— though it is short of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ idea of ending homestead property taxes entirely.
On insurance, Steele says Florida’s crisis is far from resolved. While he did not offer specific proposals, he claimed his ideas could dramatically reduce costs. He also appeared to break with Republican leaders, including DeSantis, by signaling openness to rolling back parts of the sweeping tort reforms lawmakers passed in 2023 — reforms the governor has credited with stabilizing the insurance market.
“Everybody deserves their day in court,” Steele said. “If you take the court system out of the process, it affects the person actually buying the policy… We should be protecting the people of Florida, not necessarily corporations.”
Steele has also faced criticism over his past voter registration as a Democrat. He told Scripps News it was a brief, strategic move during the 2008 presidential primary, inspired by conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh’s call for Republicans to influence the Democratic race.
“On record, yes,” Steele said when asked if he was once a Democrat. “But it was never a Democrat-like mindset… One primary. And after that, I was done… My understanding is we wanted to run against Hillary [Clinton]. She had a history that you could beat. [Barack] Obama we didn't know, and so you couldn't beat Obama, which actually ended up being the case so Rush Limbaugh was correct.”
Financial disclosures suggest Steele will have ample resources to fund his campaign. According to campaign documents, his net worth in April 2024 was approximately $307.8 million.
Ingoglia, who was appointed CFO by DeSantis, said he’s unfazed by the challenge and plans to stay focused on his record.
“Look, I’m not worried about any candidate jumping in the race,” Ingoglia said. “We’ve redefined the role of CFO — being very aggressive protecting taxpayers. I’m going to continue doing my job, and I think the voters will reward a job well done.”
Steele largely avoided direct attacks on Ingoglia, instead emphasizing that voters deserve a choice.
“Blaise was appointed by the governor. They’re friends,” Steele said. “But I think the voter has a choice of who’s going to serve as the CFO. I think I’m a better candidate based on my history and background in the business world.”
Whoever emerges from the Republican primary could face an easy path in the general election. At this point, no Democrats are registered in the CFO race. The only non-Republican candidate on the ballot is John Daniel Smith of Winter Park, a no-party-affiliation candidate.
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