Just four days after The Florida Lottery posted record monthly sales for a single month, Lottery Secretary Tom Delacenserie has resigned his position, to be effective June 2, 2017.
In his written announcement of the resignation Friday afternoon, Gov. Rick Scott said, "Tom has done a great job and under his leadership, the Lottery has seen record sales and made historic contributions to Florida’s education system. Tom has been a valued member of my team since the start of my administration and I am proud of the great work he has done for Florida’s students. I wish Tom and his family the very best in their future endeavors.”
Scott gave no further explanation of the departure, and Delacenserie was not available by late Friday afternoon. See his letter of resignation here.
Delacenserie worked at The Florida Lottery for 17 years, the last two of them as secretary. But the job turned sour in February when Speaker Richard Corcoran and the Florida House filed suit against the agency, accusing it of illegally signing a long-term contract for ticket sales -- spending more money than the Legislature had budgeted. It escalated a feud between Corcoran and Scott a little more than a week before the legislative session began.
In March, Circuit Judge Karen Gievers ruled that the department exceeded its authority when it entered into the multi-million-dollar vendor contract without legislative approval. Scott vowed he would appeal.
According to the Lottery, People spent more than $528 million on various games last month, far and away a record month. April sales represent an increase of nearly 25 percent in just the past five years. By the end of the fiscal year, Delacenserie has said he expects to surpass last year's record yearly lottery sales numbers. In 2016, sales reached $6.2 billion, of which $1.6 billion went to education.
About 60 percent of the money played on lottery games is paid out to winners, with the majority of the rest being put into the Florida's educational enhancement trust fund.
Prior to his appointment as secretary, Delacenserie served as the agency's interim secretary. Beginning his career at The Florida Lottery in 2000 as district manager in Fort Myers, he was promoted in 2005 to the Lottery’s director of sales. In 2013, he moved to deputy secretary of sales and marketing.
The governor said further announcements on agency leadership will be made at a later date.
Reach Nancy Smith at nsmith@sunshinestatenews.com or at 228-282-2423. Twitter: @NancyLBSmith
