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Shawn Hamilton (Florida)
Shawn Hamilton is the Florida Secretary of Environmental Protection. He assumed office on June 4, 2021. His current term ends on January 5, 2027.
Hamilton began serving as interim secretary in June 2021 following former Secretary Noah Valenstein's resignation.[1][2] Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) officially appointed Hamilton to the position on August 31, 2021, and the Florida Senate confirmed him as the permanent secretary on March 11, 2022.[3][4] Gov. DeSantis reappointed Hamilton on December 9, 2022.[5]
Biography
Before becoming the secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Hamilton served as the agency's deputy secretary for land and recreation. His professional experience included serving at the DEP's Northwest District Office as a public affairs manager, assistant district director, and district director.[2]
Political career
Secretary of Environmental Protection (2021 - Present)
Hamilton began serving as interim secretary in June 2021 following former secretary Noah Valenstein's resignation on June 4, 2021.[1][2] Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) officially appointed Hamilton to the position on August 31, 2021, and the Florida Senate confirmed him as the permanent secretary on March 11, 2022.[3][4]
Noteworthy events
Appointment as secretary challenged
On August 31, 2021, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) appointed Shawn Hamilton as secretary of environmental protection. Hamilton had been serving as interim secretary since June 2021. Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services and member of the Florida Cabinet Nikki Fried (D) said DeSantis' appointment was illegal because he did not bring the appointment before the Cabinet for unanimous approval. "My hope is that the governor is actually going to follow the law and bring up this appointment at the next Cabinet meeting. At that point, if he does not, then he will be in violation of state statute, and we will then figure out the next recourse after that," Fried said.[6] DeSantis had said in June that the appointment would need approval from the Senate only. Following the appointment, Fried wrote a letter to DeSantis requesting that they discuss the matter at the next Cabinet meeting.[3]
See also
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Tampa Bay Times, "Florida’s top environmental official, Noah Valenstein, is resigning," May 27, 2021
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 MySunCoast.com, "State top environmental officer resigns," May 28, 2021
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Tampa Bay Times, "DeSantis appoints Florida’s environmental secretary; Fried challenges hire," August 31, 2021
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Florida Politics, "Senate confirms DEP Secretary Shawn Hamilton after Gov. DeSantis appointments bill signature," March 11, 2022
- ↑ Twitter, "Ron DeSantis," December 9, 2022
- ↑ Fried says Cabinet approval needed for DeSantis's DEP pick," September 2, 2021
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| Preceded by Noah Valenstein |
Florida Secretary of Environmental Protection 2021-Present |
Succeeded by - |
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