Gov. Ron DeSantis has appointed three members to the St. Augustine Airport Authority board to fill seats vacated in the aftermath of an ethics investigation.
In a Sept. 30 news release, DeSantis’ office announced he had appointed Gerald Dedge, Mario Dipola and Nick Primrose to the board to replace Reba Ludlow, Dennis Clarke and Len Tucker. Ludlow, Clarke and Tucker resigned in August after a State Attorney’s investigation found they violated Florida’s Sunshine Law by holding private discussions about official business. The three each paid a $120 legal fee in exchange for charges being dropped.
Dedge is a retired St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office captain and former Florida National Guard officer. He is vice president of the Florida National Guard Foundation and a member of the St. Johns County Veterans Council.
Dipola is the state transportation leader for North Florida at the Gresham Smith architectural, engineering and design company and a former safety engineer with the Florida Department of Transportation. He serves on the North Florida Transportation Planning Organization Citizens Advisory Committee.
Primrose is chief of regulatory compliance at the Jacksonville Port Authority. He previously served as deputy general counsel in the governor’s office and as general counsel for the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
Other members of the authority are Michelle Cash-Chapman and Jennifer Liotta.
Desantis’ appointments are subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate.