Jim Rosica
March 11 is not only the final day of the 2016 Legislative Session, but it’s also the last day to apply for state Insurance Commissioner.
As of Friday morning, 47 people had applied for the position, but none were “marquee” names.
For instance, former state Rep. Tom Grady previously told FloridaPolitics.com he wasn’t interested in the job. He and others were rumored to be on Gov. Rick Scott‘s short list.
The Naples Republican is a friend of Scott and a former Commissioner of Financial Regulation and interim president of Citizens Property Insurance Corp.
“I haven’t applied. I don’t expect to apply,” Grady said last month. “It was flattering to hear my name batted about as a leading contender.”
Also absent from the applicant pool is state Rep. Bill Hager, a Delray Beach Republican, former Iowa Insurance Commissioner, and current vice chair of the House Insurance and Banking Subcommittee.
Hager declined to comment recently when asked his interest in the position.
Also absent is Bryan Nelson, a former state representative and current Orange County commissioner.
Outgoing Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty had been targeted for removal by Scott, who wanted new leadership in that key office. The 56-year-old announced in January that he was stepping down from the post he had held since 2003.
His replacement will have to be agreed upon by Scott and the Florida Cabinet: CFO Jeff Atwater, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam.
Applications also close Friday for the position of executive director of the Department of Revenue.
Current DOR head Marshall Stranburg accepted a position as deputy executive director of the Multistate Tax Commission, an intergovernmental agency that works on uniformity in taxes among states. His last day is April 1.
