County staff race to fulfill voluminous state data requests; committee will monitor answers

County staff said they are working under a tight schedule to compile multiple data requests from the Florida Department of State team, and they asked the newly formed liaison committee to review materials posted to a county SharePoint site and be available while the state team conducts on‑site work. Lede: Tom Besler, the county’s chief financial administrator, said the first request from the state arrived April 11 and asked for line‑level budget data — what staff characterized as more than 40,000 line items — plus positions and salaries, county contracts, grant details, and service‑delivery metrics. A second request came July 11 asking for revenue detail, and a follow‑up with further questions arrived July 30; staff said they were preparing responses in advance of an on‑site visit that the state has scheduled for August 11–12. Why it matters: The state requests seek detailed financial and operational data that staff say will take significant effort to assemble. The committee’s role is to review the material staff posts, provide citizen perspective and be present while state staff work on site. The requests and the state’s use of the information could influence later recommendations or findings. What…