Comments to the Honorable Ray Rodrigues, Chair, and Members of the Senate Committee on Governmental Oversight & Accountability Regarding SB 1152 – Fleet Management
My name is Dominic M. Calabro, and I am President and CEO of Florida TaxWatch, an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit taxpayer research institute and government watchdog which, for more than 40 years, has worked to improve the effectiveness, efficiency, and accountability of Florida government and promote a fair and equitable system of taxation.
Florida TaxWatch supports the concept of a centralized management system for the fleet of state[1]owned motor vehicles, maintenance facilities, and fuel depots. A 2011 report by OPPAGA found that DMS had delegated decisions concerning operations and management of state-owned vehicles to state agencies. This decentralized model, according to OPPAGA, hinders coordination, which reduces efficiency and increases costs. Permitting state agencies to independently manage their vehicle fleets resulted in poor overall management, unnecessary fleet expenditures, duplication of effort, and agencies spending resources on activities that are not central to their core missions.
In our 2013 report entitled, “Government Cost Savings Task Force Report for FY 2013-14,” Florida TaxWatch concluded that centralizing certain functions of the State’s vehicle fleet operations management (e.g., pool vehicles, maintenance management services, etc.) would produce taxpayers’ savings by increasing operational efficiencies, permitting vehicles to be shared between agencies (therefore reducing duplications), and maximizing accountability through increased oversight and transparency.
A December 2013 independent business case study by Mercury Associates, Inc., recommended the expansion of DMS’ role and staff resources to provide increased and centralized oversight, analysis, and services to manage the state’s fleet.
The 2015-16 Government Efficiency Task Force (GETF) recommended the Legislature consider consolidating management of all state agency vehicles into one statewide fleet program under one state agency (either DMS or FDOT) or third-party vendor with uniform standards for procurement, assignment, utilization, maintenance, and disposal of fleet vehicles. The 2019-2021 GETF is considering several recommendations designed to improve the efficiency of the state’s fleet management.
Florida TaxWatch supports efforts to improve the management of the state’s vehicle fleet. Centralized fleet management has been shown to reduce unnecessary fleet expenditures and duplication of effort. We look forward to working with you and your colleagues as this issue is addressed.