Secretary of State Kurt Brownings second resignation was accepted Wednesday by Gov. Rick Scott.
After a great deal of thought over the holiday, I have decided that it is in the best interest of my family that I would return to Pasco County, Browning stated in his resignation letter.
Browning said there was no pressure from the governor's office.
"Governors come in with their own styles and I think it's up to agency heads to acclimate and accommodate those styles," Browning said. "I look at it from a perspective I know what the department of state is and my goal is to provide information to the governor that he needs to make the decisions that affect the department and the state as a whole, and I think we've done that pretty effectively."
Browning, 53, who is in his second stint as secretary of state, is considering a run for the top education post in Pasco County.
He asked to remain in the office through Feb. 17 so he could oversee the Jan. 31 GOP presidential primary.
The announcement came shortly after Scott and Browning had an 11:30 a.m. meeting in the governor's office at the Capitol.
For more than 35 years, Secretary Kurt Browning has been an elections expert, serving twice as Floridas secretary of state and seven terms as Pasco Countys supervisor of elections," Scott stated in a release. "I commend his dedication to overseeing orderly, fair and error-free elections and ensuring Floridas elections system is secure and defended from fraud.
Over the last year, Secretary Browning has been instrumental in implementing the new elections law, working with Floridas 67 independently elected supervisors of elections to prepare for the states presidential primary later this month, and coordinating Floridas 500th anniversary celebration in 2013.
I am grateful for Kurts years of dedicated service and wish him the best in his future endeavors.
Browning said the conversation also included his wife and his son's cancer treatment in 2009.
Browning, who hasn't offered a replacement, said he would recommend a person who has a "love of history, love of the state" as his replacement, due in part to the pending 500th anniversary of the state in 2014.
The governor's office stated that Scott will name a replacement for Browning prior to Feb. 17.
House Speaker Dean Cannon, R-Winter Park, simply wished Browning well.
"Secretary Browning has been a dedicated public servant for decades and Florida is fortunate to have had the benefit of his leadership," Cannon stated in a release.
Martin County Supervisor of Elections Vicki Davis, the president-elect of the Florida State Association of Supervisors of Elections, said Browning's knowledge of the elections process has been an asset to supervisors.
"It has been reassuring to have a former supervisor of elections who has "been in the trenches" serve in this capacity," Davis said. "Kurt will be missed; however, I wish him all the best in his endeavors."
Browning had the post under former Gov. Charlie Crist before Scott appointed him.
Last January, as a new governor, Scott praised Brownings experience handling election issues.
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, Scott stated at the time. I am grateful he will return to lead the department and continue his exemplary public service.
Browning spent 26 years as Pasco County supervisor of elections before being appointed to the state post by Crist in 2007. Browning resigned in April 2010.
At the time, the governor's office called Brownings decision a retirement."
Reach Jim Turner at jturner@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 215-9889.
