Gov. Rick Scott continued to reshape his team on Tuesday, naming Kevin Reilly as legislative affairs director while William Spicola takes over as general counsel. Reilly and Spicola start their new duties on Wednesday.
Last month, Scott announced Melissa Sellers was stepping down as chief of staff and Timothy Cerio was leaving as general counsel. Scott quickly replaced Sellers with Kim McDougal and continued his efforts on Tuesday.
Reilly had worked for Scott in the 2010 campaign and has been a key aide to Florida House Majority Leader Dana Young, R-Tampa, serving as deputy staff director in her office. Before that he worked as legislative affairs director for the Florida Commission on Offender Review and the Florida Department of Elder Affairs and as a legislative assistant in the Florida House of Representatives. Reilly had worked on Scott’s campaign back in 2010.
Scott insisted Reilly’s experience with the Legislature would help him in his new post.
“Kevin has done a great job building relationships throughout his many roles working with the Florida Legislature and has extensive experience navigating Florida’s legislative process,” Scott said. “He was part of my team when I first ran in 2010, and I am confident he will work hard to continue our goal of making Florida the best place for families to succeed.”
A former assistant state attorney, Spicola had been general counsel Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR). Before that at DBPR, Spicola had been director of the Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco and the chief attorney in the Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering. He also served as a senior attorney in the Office of Insurance Regulation.
“Will has been a great asset to the Department of Business and Professional Regulation and has worked with my office on many key issues affecting our state,” Scott noted. “He has a tremendous amount of legal experience and I look forward to his continued success as the general counsel in my office. He will be a valuable team member on our mission to make Florida first for jobs.”
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
