State CFO Jeff Atwater waded into fellow Republican Gov. Rick Scotts controversial removal of Gerald Bailey as head of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) at the Florida Legislative Planning Session held by the Associated Press at the Capitol in Tallahassee on Wednesday.
Atwater said his team and Scotts needed better communications and said he would be for better guidelines in assessing and removing officials.
On most matters ... I dont know if there are communication challenges," Atwater said about his work with Scotts staff but said there was an opportunity for more, noting that Baileys removal was a perfect example of this.
Atwater said there needed to be guidelines for evaluating removing officials The CFO said that Bailey and other officials were being evaluated but noted that he was not aware the FDLE commissioner was on the chopping block.
I wasnt aware that it was accelerated, Atwater said of Scotts removal of Bailey. I assumed he stepped down, Atwater insisted about the former FDLE commissioner.
Asked if he was misled by Scotts office, Atwater said there needed to be a better procedure with communications and procedures. But the state CFO would not say that he was misled.
Im expecting to see a process, Atwater said, insisting he was unaware of any problems with Bailey.
Atwater said the Cabinet would tackle how agency heads are evaluated and removed at the next meeting.
I wholeheartedly support it, Atwater said, saying the Cabinet needs to come up with very clear missions for all of these agencies.
Asked about other administrators who could be removed in the weeks to come, Atwater said:Talent is your greatest asset. We need to develop a credibility with people we reach out to ... I believe the Cabinet should now take its time to develop a very clear process by agency.
Atwater said he wanted to establish metrics and procedures for Cabinet officials to evaluate agency heads.
Id like a process here, Atwater said, noting he did not expect other agency heads, including Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty, to be removed at the next Cabinet meeting.
On other matters, Atwater showcased his record on consumer advocacy and fighting insurance fraud. Looking ahead to the upcoming legislative session, Atwater said he will be focused on balance billing and other insurance matters.
Atwater also promised to continue his efforts to promote financial literary and education.
We wish to work with the Legislature," Atwater said, calling for more educational efforts for K-12 students on financial literacy, especially with high schoolers.
Atwater vowed to work for more transparency efforts, including more from third-party vendors and contracts. The state CFO also called for reforming the state accounting software, noting that the current operationally deficient system was launched in 1981.
Insisting Amendment 1, a water and land management proposal put in the state Constitution by voters in November, will accelerate environmental efforts, Atwater said,This is the time for an open, thoughtful, encouraging consensus, calling for all parties to provide an outline and a thoughtful, more comprehensive look at conservation efforts.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
