Shevaun Harris has been appointed acting secretary of the state Agency for Health Care Administration, moving into the post after former Secretary Mary Mayhew took a job leading the Florida Hospital Association, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office announced Thursday.
Harris, who has served since February 2017 as the agency’s assistant deputy secretary for Medicaid policy and quality, was the lead negotiator on a statewide contracting process for Medicaid managed-care plans.
That process, which involved tens of billions of dollars in contracts, started in 2017 and was finalized in 2018. She also has taken the lead on carrying out a Canadian prescription-drug importation program that the Legislature approved in 2019. That program has been a priority of DeSantis.
“I’m pleased to appoint Shevaun Harris to this acting role as we continue our search for a permanent AHCA Secretary,” DeSantis said in a prepared statement Thursday. “Shevaun has over a decade’s worth of experience at AHCA and has held several leadership positions within the agency.”
Before leaving the agency Oct. 2, Mayhew was a key player in the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, at least in part because the agency regulates facilities such as nursing homes and hospitals.
