Gov. Ron DeSantis says a "Proto Box" at Jacksonville International Airport — a hologram-like image of Mayor Donna Deegan — is an example of wasteful government spending. DeSantis and Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia came to the airport on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025, to criticize waste and call for property tax reform. | Will Brown, Jacksonville Today
Published on October 1, 2025 at 5:27 pm
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Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia visited Jacksonville International Airport on Wednesday to highlight what they called “wasteful local spending” and to push for changes to property taxes.
DeSantis pointed to the state’s financial reserves and continued to assert that property tax burdens are forcing some residents, especially seniors, out of their homes.
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“When I became governor to now, we’ve more than tripled the state’s rainy day fund,” DeSantis said. “We have elderly people that are having to sell their homes because they can’t afford to keep paying the property tax.”
Ingoglia announced new state audits aimed at local governments, claiming Jacksonville had nearly $200 million in questionable spending over the last five years. He singled out Mayor Donna Deegan, criticizing a $75,000 airport hologram system as an example of the city’s misuse of its multibillion-dollar budget.
The hologram, situated inside the airport terminal, is a digital display system that greets travelers and provides information about the facility. Deegan said it was part of airport operations and not wasteful, while Ingoglia mocked it as a “$75,000 of waste, fraud and abuse,” even dubbing it “Donna Deegan’s TSA — Taxes Squandered Again.”
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Ingoglia also pointed to other projects across the state — from a $600,000 neon sign in Pensacola to $70,000 for hot yoga in Orlando — arguing they show a broader trend of taxpayer dollars being misspent.
Response on spending
Deegan released this statement in response to the criticism:
“Our administration has been driving innovation since day one with exceptional results. We are turning around permits in half the time we used to. More than 304,000 staff hours have been saved through our 904 LEAN Program. We held the number of non-public safety city employees flat despite the fastest growing population in Florida. We have a top-tier AA+ distinction from the leading ratings agency.
“We stand by this Proto Box technology and the women-owned Jacksonville Small and Emerging Business behind it. In fact, AnuVision Technologies just presented Jax Tech Fest, a citywide movement to position Jacksonville as a leading hub for technology. Mayors greet travelers at airports across the country and use multimedia platforms to promote their cities as tourist destinations. This is just a new and innovative way to do that.
“Instead of being distracted by the constant partisan attacks on local governments, our administration will continue the work to make housing, healthcare, and food costs more affordable for our citizens. I hope that state leaders will do the same.
“The Proto Box now includes a hologram video featuring the Jacksonville Jaguars, including Executive Vice President of Football Operations and Hall of Famer Tony Boselli, as well as the Jaguars cheerleaders and Jaxson de Ville. Click here to watch the video. We continue to discuss with the airport the best content and location to welcome visitors during increased holiday traffic.
“The City of Jacksonville has spent more than 1,000 staff hours cooperating with Florida DOGE throughout this year. The opportunity cost for this time is well above the $75,000 cost of the Proto Box itself, which was funded by the Technology Solutions Division and represents a mere 0.0000375% of the city budget.“
The Florida Democratic Party released a statement about property taxes:
“Life keeps getting more expensive for Floridians, and eliminating property taxes may seem like a relief, but the truth is that those resources pay for things we all rely on and need, such as public hospitals, disaster preparedness and relief, first responders, firefighters, and our schools.
“If we eliminate them, the costs of those services don’t just disappear; they shift onto consumers through more fee-based services. We will end up paying more to private corporations with inflated costs and zero accountability for services we used to get from our local government, which work for us — not corporate shareholders.
“Hardworking Floridians deserve real solutions to the affordability crisis manufactured by 30 years of GOP policies, not more cuts to the programs we rely on and higher fees for cash-strapped families.”
DeSantis and Ingoglia called for lawmakers to consider reforms that could lead to property tax relief, with DeSantis suggesting changes be placed on the 2026 ballot.
“The best way we can provide relief is to deal with property taxes at the local level,” DeSantis said.
This story was produced by News4Jax, a Jacksonville Today news partner.
