Gov. Rick Scott named Tom Delacenserie as the secretary of the Lottery on Monday. Delacenserie had been serving as interim secretary.
“Tom is dedicated to ensuring the Florida Lottery continues to achieve historic transfers to education through record sales so students have the tools they need to succeed,” Scott said on Monday. “Tom has demonstrated his knowledge of this important agency and his commitment to serving Floridians. We look forward to his continued success as secretary, and the continued investment in Florida’s education system.”
Scott tapped Delacenserie as the interim secretary of the Florida Lottery to replace Cynthia O’Connell back in August.
Reports emerged about O’Connell racking up almost $30,000 in travel expenses and being excessively absent from her post. She left the Lottery on Oct. 1 to work in the private sector.
Even as he begins his new role, Delacenserie, an old hand at the Lottery, should find much that is familair. Delacenserie started at the Florida Lottery back in 2000 as a district manager based in Fort Myers. In 2005, he was named director of sales for the lottery before taking over as deputy secretary of sales and marketing in 2013. Before working with the Lottery, Delacenserie was in the private sector, something Scott noted when he named him interim secretary.
“Tom has over 30 years of experience in the private sector and 15 years of service at the Florida Lottery where he helped the organization hit their highest sales record ever,” Scott said after news emerged of O’Connell stepping down. “Tom is laser-focused on making sure the Florida Lottery continues to contribute critical funding to our education system so students have the tools they need to succeed.”
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
