by Michael Peltier
The News Service of Florida
Gov. Rick Scott on Thursday took what he hopes will be the next step in boosting economic development efforts by appointing his deputy chief of staff to take over the newly created Department of Economic Opportunity.
Doug Darling, whose lengthy resume includes stints at the Department of Environmental Protection under Mike Sole and the Department of Financial Services under Alex Sink, takes the reins of an agency Scott plans to provide the back-office support to state efforts to retain and attract businesses.
“As we work to make Florida the best place for businesses to grow, expand and create jobs, I am confident in Doug’s ability to lead our efforts to streamline existing economic development functions into one agency,” said Scott.
Darling’s appointment was among a handful of agency changes made Thursday that also included the appointment on a permanent basis of Cynthia Lorenzo as head of the Agency for Workforce Innovation. Lorenzo had held the position on an interim basis since 2009.
“Cynthia has basically led the Agency for Workforce Innovation for the past five years,” Scott said in a statement. “I am proud today to remove her ‘interim’ designation.”
Scott also appointed another longtime Tallahassee insider to take over another state agency.
Mike Hansen, a 22-year legislative veteran focusing on budgeting and social services, will head the Agency for Persons with Disabilities.
Most recently, Hansen served as staff director for the Florida Senate’s Budget Subcommittee on Health and Human Services.
Darling will oversee the state’s economic development initiative programs in coordination with Department of Commerce Secretary Gray Swoope.
“Conceptually, (the commerce department) will be the marketing arm of the state,” Darling told the News Service Thursday. “DEO will be servicing the products, so to speak.”
Toward that end, Darling said his immediate charge is to combine and coordinate the workings of the Agency for Workforce Innovation, the Department of Community Affairs and the Office of Tourism, Trade and Economic Development into a new streamlined agency with a definite business bent.
He said the result is that many of the administrative duties that have tied up Enterprise Florida would be taken over to give that group more time to recruit.
“Workforce Florida will be the product development arm, finding people for the jobs,” said Darling. “Gray will provide the marketing element and then DEO is going to be there to close the deal and put in the accountability measures.”
Darling has served in Florida’s state government for 15 years at the Department of Financial Services, the Department of Education and, most recently, as chief of staff and inspector general for the Department of Environmental Protection. He is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and graduate of Ball State University.