Nothing official yet, but FloridaPolitics.com is hearing that Cissy Proctor will be appointed the the next Executive Director of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, replacing Jesse Panuccio, who has announced he plans to step down in January.
Proctor currently is Panuccio’s Chief of Staff.
Gov. Rick Scott announced Panuccio’s resignation Friday in a news release that said he has decided “to pursue new opportunities.”
Scott appointed Panuccio in 2013 and reappointed him after winning re-election in 2014.
Earlier this year, though, the Senate failed to confirm Panuccio. He faced another tough confirmation process in the Legislative Session that begins next month.
Proctor previously was Director of Strategic Business Development for the DEO. She has been with the department since 2013, also as the Deputy Legislative Affairs Director.
Proctor – a graduate of Florida State University and FSU Law School – was previously in private practice as a lawyer and government relations consultant with Bryant Miller Olive P.A. in Tallahassee.
In all of the roles above Proctor has been an advocate for attracting businesses to move to Florida and a liaison between the $71-million dollar agency and the stakeholders toward whom it is oriented including the business community, the Legislature, and the public.
The move is effective Jan. 1.
Material from the Associated Press was used in this post.
