Blazing Turkey And Dad Jokes: Ingoglia Hosts Turkey Safety Demonstration

By Liv Caputo, Florida Phoenix

November 24, 2025

Accompanied by a blazing turkey and — by his own estimation — fireable dad jokes, Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia hosted a fried turkey safety demonstration Monday ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.

Ingoglia, who also serves as state fire marshal, was joined by the Tallahassee Fire Department to caution Floridians against the danger of home fires on Thanksgiving and teach them the “don’ts” of frying turkeys.

“Thanksgiving is the peak day for home-cooking fires,” Ingoglia said, thanking the firefighters and noting Thanksgiving cooking is responsible for three times the daily average of home fires any other day of the year.

“Be safe this holiday season. Take heed, take caution, and make sure we don’t have any mistakes that will land you guys in the hospital room.”

Floridians should set up the turkey-frying station far away from their homes at ground level, completely thaw the bird before frying it, never overfill the pot, keep children at a safe distance, and always have a fire extinguisher nearby, Ingoglia said.

“We have a demonstration for you,” the Spring Hill Republican added, stepping back as firefighters in heavy protective gear moved to purposely fry a turkey incorrectly.

Holding a long beam between them hoisting a hefty turkey on a string, two firefighters lowered the bird into an overfilled pot of boiling oil.

Within seconds, a massive fire erupted in and around the pot.

In his closing words, Ingoglia told three Thanksgiving-themed dad jokes written by his communications team that he claimed to have not seen before. His team bet him $100 dollars he wouldn’t read them, he added.

“I don’t know if they’re funny,” he warned.

“How can you tell if a local government politician carved a turkey? Half went to special interests and the other half went missing,” the first one read, touching on Ingoglia’s months-long mission to examine alleged overspending by local governments.

Appearing unsure, he read the next:

“What did the fried turkey say when the oil overflowed? Well that escalated crispy.”

Begrudgingly, he read another — “What’s the difference between a well-fried turkey and a badly-fried one? One’s dinner and the other is a story at Thanksgiving that your mother-in-law will tell for the next 20 years.” — before joking that he would soon have an opening in his communications team.

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