Florida CFO Race Is Tied at 43-43 as Ingoglia and Taddeo Trade Accusations Before Election Day
Florida voters pick a Chief Financial Officer on Tuesday, and the race is dead even: a James Madison Institute poll ties Republican incumbent Blaise Ingoglia and Democrat Annette Taddeo at 43 percent apiece, with the campaign turning on insurance costs, data centers and who watches the state's money.
One of Florida's closest statewide races is the one most voters are still learning about. On Tuesday, November 3, voters will choose a Chief Financial Officer for the next four years - Republican incumbent Blaise Ingoglia or Democratic challenger Annette Taddeo - and a recent statewide poll by the Tallahassee-based James Madison Institute found them tied at 43 percent apiece, with 10 percent of voters undecided, USA TODAY Network-Florida reported.
The office is bigger than its name. The CFO manages the state's finances, roots out fraud and oversees financial transparency, according to the Florida Department of Financial Services; the CFO also serves as State Fire Marshal, sits on the Florida Cabinet alongside the Governor, Attorney General and Agriculture Commissioner, and stands third in line to fill in as Governor. Ingoglia, a former state senator from Spring Hill, was appointed to the post by Gov. Ron DeSantis on July 21, 2025, after Jimmy Patronis - now the congressman for Northwest Florida's 1st District, including Pensacola - stepped down. Taddeo, a former state senator from Miami, in 2017 became the first Latina Democrat elected to the Florida Senate.
The closing argument is a fight over insurance and influence. 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 going easy on insurance companies, arguing the CFO must 'follow the money' on insurers that collect premiums and pay affiliates. Ingoglia answered that no contributions change his positions, pointed to fines against insurers and fraud arrests by his office, and accused Taddeo of extremism. His campaign touts more than 1,300 fraud arrests, 22 audits of local governments, a record $847 million in unclaimed property returned and $2.4 million in fines against 10 insurance companies. Taddeo pledges an insurer 'report card' in her first 100 days grading how fast companies pay claims, strike teams on the ground within three to five days after hurricanes, and every state contract posted in a public database. For Escambia County households still filing Hurricane Isaias claims, the winner's approach to insurers is not an abstraction - it is the office that polices the companies handling their claims.
