This week, Gov. Rick Scott has brought in two new department heads into his administration.
On Thursday, Scott named Jim Poppell as secretary of the Florida Lottery. Poppell will start his new duties on July 10, replacing Tom Delacenserie who left at the start of the month to become president and CEO of the Kentucky Lottery. David Mica, the chief of staff of the Florida Lottery, has been serving as interim secretary.
Poppell is currently the chief of staff at the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO). Before that, he served as DEO’s general counsel. He also worked at NextEra Energy, Inc. and Florida Power & Light Company.
Scott praised Poppell’s record at DEO and said it showed he will do well at the Lottery.
“During his time at DEO, Jim has helped provide Florida families and businesses with the support they need to succeed,” Scott said. “I am confident that Jim will continue the Lottery’s focus on fighting for students and achieving record sales to invest in our education system. I look forward to working with him to further support Florida students.”
This is the second such appointment Scott has made this week. On Tuesday, the governor named Jonathan Zachem as secretary of the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR).
This is a promotion for Zachem who was serving as deputy secretary at DBPR. Before that, he worked for DBPR as chief attorney and director of its Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering.
The post had been vacant since January when Ken Lawson resigned to serve as president and CEO of Visit Florida. After Lawson left, Matilde Miller served as interim secretary but she is now following him to Visit Florida where she will serve as vice president of compliance.
Scott pointed to Zachem’s experience at DBPR as one of the reasons he was promoting him to lead the department.
“DBPR is often on the frontlines of supporting new and existing businesses across our state,” Scott said. “With his leadership experience at DBPR, Jonathan understands the importance of reducing burdensome regulations while helping our job creators and families. I know that Jonathan will be a great leader as we continue to work together to make Florida the most business-friendly state in the nation. I appreciate Matilde Miller’s service to the state of Florida and her dedication to our mission of growing jobs for our families.”
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