Ken Detzner, who oversaw the transition of Floridas secretary of state's office from an independent agency to one that reported to the governor, was named Wednesday as the replacement for the outgoing Kurt Browning.
The benefit of Ken is that he has experience, said Gov. Rick Scott. Im confident hell work well with our other appointed officials.
Detzner, who a decade ago was temporarily appointed to the post in 2003 by former Gov. Jeb Bush, will transition into the office with Browning serving until Feb. 17 in order to oversee the Jan. 31 GOP presidential primary.
Browning announced his resignation Jan. 11.
Detzner had been chief of staff for Secretary of State Jim Smith for two years.
Detzner, who said he resigned from his lobbying job prior to the announcement, said he took less than 24 hours to accept after being approached by Scott about the position.
This is one of the most fun jobs in state government, Detzner said. In addition to the really heavy responsibility of being involved with the elections process, cultural affairs, historical preservation, Viva 500 next year, are all a lot of fun things to do in government.
Viva Florida 500 is the states coming quincentennial in 2013.
Detzner moves into an agency that remains in a legal battle with the federal government over the voting law changes enacted last year by the state Legislature.
He said his immediate goals will be transparency and openness and fairness.
Martin County Supervisor of Elections Vicki Davis, the president-elect of the Florida State Association of Supervisors of Elections, said Detzner's background with the agency should be a real plus for elections officials.
Detzner was in Tallahassee lobbying when approached by Scotts office.
The governors office noted that Detzner has been a governmental affairs and management consultant, maintaining a long-term relationship with the Collins Center for Public Policy. He has been involved in creating foreclosure and hurricane insurance mediation programs. He also advised the Florida attorney generals office on ways to speed up the claims process for businesses that experienced losses resulting from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
His resume also includes 13 years as executive director of the Florida Beer Wholesalers Association.
During his six years as director of legislative and policy affairs for the attorney generals office, Detzner worked with issues relating to state antitrust laws designed to protect consumers from various forms of fraud.
The agency includes the divisions of administrative services, corporations, cultural affairs, elections, historical resources, and library and information services.
Reach Jim Turner at jturner@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 215-9889.
