Appointments by Governor DeSantis:
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Appointed were Steven Hudson, Fort Lauderdale, president and chief executive officer of Hudson Capital Group and a board member and former chairman of the Humane Society of Broward County and a founding board member of the Marine Research Hub; and Rodney Barreto, Coral Gables, president and chief executive officer of Barreto Group.
Florida Transportation Commission Appointed was Richard Burke, Ponte Vedra Beach, chief executive officer of Advanced Disposal.
Florida Women’s Hall of Fame Chosen from recommendations presented to the Governor by the Florida Commission on the Status of Women were:
- Doris Mae Barnes (Miami) Barnes was the first pioneer career woman marine photographer and the first “Official Dock Photographer” at the Baker’s Haulover Dock in North Miami Beach for 50 years from the 1930s to 1990s. She shaped Florida’s sport fishing tourism industry until she died at the age of 85.
- Dr. Judith Ann Bense (Pensacola) Bense served as president of the University of West Florida and professor of archaeology, establishing the university’s Historical Archaeology program and mentoring many students.
- Millie Wilborn Gildersleeve (Palm Beach County) Born a slave in Cuthbert, Georgia in 1858 she served as a nurse and midwife in Florida during the Reconstruction Era. In 1950, she was posthumously inducted into the Lake Worth Pioneer’s Association. The Historical Society of Palm Beach County has recognized Mrs. Gildersleeve as one of the first healers and medical practitioners to settle in the area.
Florida Women’s Suffrage Centennial Commission Appointed chair was Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Núñez. The Commission was created when Governor DeSantis signed SB 1306, sponsored by Senator Book, into law. For a complete list of the eleven appointments, go here.