Gov. Rick Scott on Monday appointed Tom Delacenserie as Secretary of the Florida Lottery, a position he had held in the interim since former Lottery Secretary Cynthia O’Connell‘s departure in August.
The Lottery shuffles most of its proceeds toward public education in the state, including roughly $1.5 billion last year.
“Tom has demonstrated his knowledge of this important agency and his commitment to serving Floridians,” Scott said in a statement. “We look forward to his continued success as Secretary, and the continued investment in Florida’s education system.”
Delacenserie previously was the Lottery’s Deputy Secretary of Sales and Marketing and its Director of Sales, after starting in 2000 as the Fort Myers District Manager.
He will be paid $141,000 per year, the same salary as O’Connell, state records show.
O’Connell — a Scott appointee — left the position, though her resignation wasn’t officially effective till Oct. 1.
She quit after four years amid questions about her work habits, travel schedule and spending.
Her abrupt resignation came days after POLITICO Florida reported that she had taken nearly nine weeks of vacation last year and racked up nearly $30,000 in travel bills.
It also was revealed The Associated Press had asked for O’Connell’s credit card bills and had asked questions about her dealings with lobbyists who represent vendors seeking business with her agency.
At the same time, a dizzying increase in lottery winners — some at near-impossible odds — had been raising fraud questions over the last year.
While department employees were under investigation, O’Connell was on the road, attending conferences, giving speeches or watching a Miami Heat playoff game, according to POLITICO Florida.
