A Senate panel on Monday recommended the confirmation of Scott Rivkees as secretary of the Florida Department of Health and state surgeon general.
The decision by the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee marked the final confirmation hearing for Rivkees, whose appointment is expected to go to the full Senate for a vote.
Rivkees briefly testified before the committee about health threats such as the coronavirus and hepatitis A, but he was not questioned by legislators and they did not debate his nomination prior to voting.
In earlier committee meetings, Rivkees was questioned about being the subject of a sexual harassment investigation at the University of Florida in 2014 and about his financial disclosures.
Rivkees was appointed last year by Gov. Ron DeSantis as health department secretary and surgeon general. But the Senate delayed any action on the confirmation until this session.
