One of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ most loyal supporters took the oath as Florida’s new chief financial officer Monday but delivered remarks that could reignite a political battle between DeSantis and President Donald Trump.

Former state Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, sworn in as Florida’s fifth CFO by Supreme Court Justice John Curiel, promised to “hit the ground running” and praised DeSantis for putting Florida on a path to prosperity — in contrast, he said, to what’s going on in Washington, D.C.

Trump last year endorsed state Sen. Joe Gruters, a long-time Trump supporter who has been at odds with the governor over a spate of issues including legalization of adult recreational marijuana. Ingoglia by contrast has backed the governor throughout his tenure, most recently on property tax reduction and illegal immigration.

The office comes up for election in November 2026.

“You are not going to see anyone fight harder for the taxpayer, the consumer, than I will and I’m planning on hitting the ground running. I’m going to wake up every day with one goal in mind: to make sure that we continue on this path,” Ingoglia said during a ceremony at the Capitol.

He praised DeSantis for making sure Florida “continues to be the greatest state in the union and the greatest state we have ever seen. D.C. is going in a complete opposite direction than Florida is. We have become the shining light for every other state out there. When Florida does something, other states listen.”

Ingoglia clarified those remarks in a gaggle with journalists.

“What that’s directed at is what President Trump is trying to accomplish in Washington D.C.,” he said when asked about the remarks.

“D.C has been reckless spending, overspending, not caring about the future prosperity of Americans. Donald Trump is trying to put that back and install that. So, when I’m talking about the differences in D.C. is what Florida has already done and what Donald Trump is attempting and is currently doing in Washington, D.C.”

Ingoglia dismissed the notion of bad blood between Trump and himself.

“I’m a big fan of the president. I’ve worked on his campaigns before,” said Ingoglia, who was chair of the Republican Party of Florida when Trump was elected the first time.

“My job right now is to make sure that I get in there and do the best possible job as I can as CFO. I know two things in politics, is that the voters will not reward you unless you do a good job and the second thing is usually — when I say usually, it’s like 99%of the time in Republican primaries — the most conservative candidate wins.”

An ‘act of disloyalty?’

Ingoglia’s career in the Legislature included an eight-year stint in the Florida House of Representatives from 2014-2022 and three years (2022-2025) in the Florida Senate. In 2023, he filed a bill to cancel the Democratic Party.

Florida House Democratic leader Fentrice Driskell criticized the appointment in a statement to the press and predicted the move would land DeSantis on the wrong side of the president. She also criticized Ingoglia, who touts himself as a fiscal conservative, for supporting the $450 million Everglades immigrant detention camp dubbed by Republicans as “Alligator Alcatraz.”

“I see that as proof that his loyalty to DeSantis will always come before what’s in the best financial interest of the people. He also has a long history in the Legislature of working to make it harder to vote and promoting partisan stunts like trying to outlaw the Democratic Party. It is interesting that DeSantis chose to defy Donald Trump and pick Ingoglia over Trump’s endorsed candidate. Those two have a frosty relationship, and Trump will probably view this as an act of disloyalty.”

Florida’s CFO wears a variety of hats, from state fire marshall to the head of the Florida Department of Financial Services,  the agency charged with state regulation of the insurance and banking industries. The CFO also heads the state’s accounting and auditing efforts and is responsible for paying the bills.

Additionally, the CFO serves on the Florida Cabinet with the state’s attorney general and agriculture commissioner, setting policy with the governor on a range of issues including bond finance, environmental land buys, insurance, and executive clemency.

The crowd of onlookers included banking and insurance lobbyists as well as former Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez, now president of Florida International University; former Republican CFO Jeff Atwater; and Sen. Jay Collins, who before the swearing-in ceremony walked around the room gladhanding the onlookers.

Collins is purported to be on a short list of candidates to replace Nuñez.

Calling balls and strikes

Homeowners insurance continues as a pressing priority for Florida consumers, and there were hopes of regulatory changes during the 2025 session following an investigation by the Tampa Bay Times finding that following hurricanes Irma and Michael insurers raised premiums to cover losses while transferring billions of dollars to affiliated companies.

“We are going to watch insurance companies and make sure that they’re doing what they’re contractually obligated to do, paying on the claims. If they’re slow-rolling stuff, we’re going to have conversations with them,” Ingoglia said. “I’m not going to sit back. I’m not going to allow anyone to game the system whether it is on one side or the other side, whether it is the trial attorneys gaming the system or insurance companies gaming the system. I’m going to call balls and strikes.”

DeSantis introduced Ingoglia, a homebuilder and ranked poker player, praising him for being straight-up with voters. DeSantis last week criticized Gruters when he explained why he was appointing Ingoglia instead.

“I am confident he’s going to be a bold CFO because he has been bold and has delivered meaningful results to people when he’s been in office in the House and in the Senate, and that’s the best indicator of whether somebody’s  going to fight for you, is whether they have fought for you in the the past. He’s been a fighter. Every time there’s been a fight he’s turned towards the fire and he’s done what he told the voters he would do.”

Ingoglia is not the first politico to assume the CFO job without first being elected. Former Gov. Rick Scott appointed political ally Jimmy Patronis to the post in 2017; he subsequently was re-elected. Patronis resigned in November to run for Congress after President Donald Trump nominated Matt Gaetz for attorney general. Gaetz ultimately withdrew his nomination because of a scandal.

A second Cabinet appointment

Ingoglia is the second DeSantis appointee to serve on the Florida Cabinet — the governor appointed former aide James Uthmeier Florida attorney general after appointing Ashley Moody to the U.S. Senate.

Ingoglia’s appointment was lauded by Americans for Prosperity, the National Federation of Independent Business, and the NRA in a press release sent out by Ingoglia.

“Senator Ingoglia has consistently led the fight for pro-gun legislation and stood firm against efforts to undermine the rights of law-abiding gun owners during his tenure in the Florida Legislature. Most recently, he successfully passed legislation to safeguard Second Amendment rights during a state of emergency,” the NRA-Institute for Legislative Action’s statement reads.

“The NRA looks forward to his continued leadership and is confident that he will bring the same dedication and integrity to the role of CFO as he has throughout his legislative service. We applaud his appointment and remain grateful for his ongoing support of the Second Amendment in Florida,” the group continued.