Congresswoman Corrine Brown Longtime Democratic Congressman Corrine Brown (D-Jacksonville) and her chief of staff, Ronnie Simmons, were handed an indictment on July 8th alleging she ran a phony education charity. Earlier this year, the president of her charity pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud after it was discovered that she had deposited $800,000 into the foundation’s account over four years. Charges include mail and wire fraud, concealing facts on financial-disclosure forms, filing false tax returns and theft of government property.
Democratic National Committee Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Shultz (D-Weston) resigned as chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee on opening day of the Democratic Convention. Her resignation follows months of controversy surrounding the Democratic primary competition between U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders.
Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs The Florida Cabinet appointed Lieutenant Colonel Glenn Sutphin as Executive Director of FDVA at their meeting on August 2nd. Sutphin has served as interim director since April. He replaced Mike Prendergast who resigned in March to run for Citrus County Sheriff.
Florida House of Representatives Portia Palmer has been named interim clerk of the House, replacing retiring Bob Ward.
Florida Sheriffs Association Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings has been elected president of the Florida Sheriffs Association. Demings is the first African-American president in the history of the law enforcement association, which represents the 66 elected sheriffs in Florida.
Florida State University Randy Hanna was named interim dean of Florida State University’s Panama City campus and the College of Applied Studies by Provost Sally McRorie. Hanna, a Tallahassee attorney, teaches graduate courses in the FSU College of Education’s Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. He replaces Carol D. Edwards who will join FSU’s College of Fine Arts.
Florida Transportation Commission Matt Ubben has been named executive director of the FTC. Ubben leaves Floridians for Better Transportation, a business and transportation industry association dedicated to making transportation safer and more efficient, where he served as president. He previously worked at FTC’s public affairs director in the 1990’s.
Southwest Florida Water Management District Brian Armstrong is the executive director of the Southwest Florida Water Management District, replacing Robert Beltran who announced his resignation in June. Armstrong began serving as assistant executive director in May, 2014.
SunRail Nicola Liquori has been appointed by Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jim Boxold as executive director of SunRail. Liquiori served as the Deputy Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer for Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise, which operates state toll roads and SunPass.
Teacher of the Year Jessica Solano, a math teacher at Highlands Grove Elementary School in Polk County, was named the 2017 Florida Department of Education/Macy’s Teacher of the Year by Governor Scott and First Lady Ann Scott. Solano will serve for one year as the Christa McAuliffe Ambassador for Education. Prizes include $20,000 and an all-expense paid trip to New York City to attend the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.