While Florida continues to adjust to being led by newly inaugurated Gov. Rick Scott, the new executive continues to flesh out his administration.
Scott announced that Michelle Rhee, who was on his transition team and served as chancellor of public schools in Washington D.C., will continue as an adviser on education.
I am honored to work with Governor Scott as he executes his education agenda for Florida, said Rhee, whose work on education reform has garnered national attention. I am also proud to work with such a strong reform community and its leaders, including those I worked with during the transition. Florida is leading the country in areas such as sharing information about school performance, and we look forward to helping Governor Scott push the envelope in promoting innovative policies, including a focus on high-performing teachers.
Scott and Rhee head to Opalocka Thursday, where they will visit Florida International Academy which went from an F school in 2002 to an A school the last two years.
Scott also turned to a familiar face to join his team. The new governor brought back Kurt Browning as Floridas secretary of state -- a post he held under former Gov. Charlie Crist.
Scott praised Brownings experience handling election issues. Browning served more than two decades as supervisor of elections in Pasco County.
Kurt Browning has an unmatched ability to manage and coordinate the efforts of Floridas 67 independently elected supervisors and to work with them to ensure Floridas elections are a model of fairness and integrity, said Scott. I am grateful he will return to lead the department and continue his exemplary public service.
Scott added that the Division of Corporations will report to Browning.
Kurt shares my belief that bureaucratic red tape on Floridas business community needs to stop, said Scott.Our priority in the department should be and continues to be serving Floridas businesses.
The business community applauded Scott for returning Browning to office.
Kurt is an outstanding choice and absolutely the right man for the job, said Barney Bishop, president and CEO of the Associated Industries of Florida. During his tenures as both the secretary of state and supervisor of elections, elections ran smoothly, efficiently and accurately. He knows the business of running an election inside and out, having also served as a past president of the Florida State Association of Supervisors of Elections and was appointed to Governor Jeb Bushs election reform task force. Secretary Brownings hands-on style and collaborative approach have earned him the respect of officials on both sides of the aisle, as well as that of his fellow supervisors of elections.
Bishop speculated that Scotts selection of Browning could help ensure a calmer presidential election cycle in Florida come 2012.
As a presidential battleground state and with the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida will at the epicenter of the next election cycle, noted Bishop. With the nations eyes closely trained on Florida, we cannot afford to have anyone other than a seasoned and steady hand at the helm of our statewide elections.
Bishop welcomed the news that the Division of Corporations will fall under Brownings authority.
AIF looks forward to again working closely with Secretary Browning to ensure the Division of Corporations remains within the DOS and does not reside under the Florida Department of Revenue, a move AIF has fought for the past three years, said Bishop. Florida incorporates more entities than any other state in the nation and the Division of Corporations is the first stop for any company looking to incorporate in Florida. The divisions extraordinarily high satisfaction rate in the 90th percentile speaks for itself, and relocating it to what is essentially the state IRS would be a move that could impinge on Floridas economic development and recovery efforts.
Kevin Derby can be reached at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
