Jim Rosica
Cissy Proctor, who heads the state’s jobs agency, now is taking a role at the Florida House.
No, not the Florida House of Representatives, but the actual building that serves as Florida’s “embassy” in Washington, D.C.
Proctor, executive director of Florida’s Department of Economic Opportunity, was named Monday to the board of trustees for Florida House, “the beautifully restored 1891 Victorian house” across the street from the U.S. Capitol and Supreme Court.
It “has welcomed visiting Floridians, students, dignitaries, elected officials and those doing business in the nation’s capital” since 1973, according to its website.
“Florida House was purchased and is maintained solely by contributions for the citizens of Florida,” the site says. “No state or federal tax dollars are used in any way to support Florida House.”
Bart Hudson, president and CEO of Florida House, said in a statement Proctor “has a depth of knowledge about our state and a network of friends and colleagues that will help spread the word of Florida House.”
Florida also is the only state to have such a facility in the nation’s capital.
“The zoning regulations within the District of Columbia would (now) prohibit a facility like Florida House,” its site says. “We are grandfathered in and will exist as long as the generosity of Floridians supports the concept.”
Jacksonville mortgage broker Elizabeth Newton Riley also was named to the board Monday. Florida’s first lady, Ann Scott, is honorary chairman of the board.
