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FL To Do National Search for DEP, FDLE Bosses

Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.
AP
/
The Florida Channel
Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.

Florida will begin a nationwide search to find the heads of two state agencies.

Gov. Rick Scott called for the search Tuesday after the Florida Senate didn't confirm Scott's picks for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

The agencies report to both Scott and the three elected members of the Cabinet.

Earlier this year the Cabinet put in new procedures after the ouster of former FDLE Commissioner Gerald Bailey. Cabinet members say they weren't consulted before the Scott administration pressured Bailey to resign. Scott selected Rick Swearingen as the new commissioner without a job search.

Scott and the Cabinet agreed to keep Swearingen and DEP Secretary Jonathan Steverson in their jobs while the search is underway.

The Senate adjourned last week without confirming selections for more than a dozen agencies.