Governor Ron DeSantis announced today that fellow Republican and Florida House Majority leader Dane Eagle will take over as the next executive director of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.
The decision comes two days after previous DEO chief Ken Lawson resigned due to criticism from a mishandling of the state’s CONNECT online unemployment system, which was overwhelmed in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A press release from the Office of Governor Ron DeSantis said that in his time as a member of the Florida House of Representatives, Eagle “quickly distinguished himself as a highly effective legislator, passing laws to cut taxes, reduce regulations, curtail illegal immigration, protect the unborn, preserve our waterways, honor our veterans, and keep dangerous criminals off our streets.”
Eagle recently lost the primary for Florida’s 19th Congressional District to Rep. Byron Donalds, a colleague in the House. At age 24, Eagle became the Deputy Chief of Staff to then-Republican Governor Chris Christie, becoming the youngest to hold the position, according to Florida Politics.
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