Agency for State Technology gets softballs in Senate committee

On Tuesday, the Florida Senate Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee heard from the Agency for State Technology.

The AST, legislated into existence in 2014, appears on the outside to be in flux.

A recent audit of the AST hammered it for a lack of internal controls.

Meanwhile, CIO Jason Allison is on his way out the door, headed to Foley and Lardner to do public affairs (or what committee chair Dennis Baxley called “newer and higher callings.”)

“I have a real concern about how we buy IT around the capital,” Baxley said, by way of introducing Eric Larsen, the interim executive director.

That concern, sadly, did not translate into a robust discussion.

Larsen offered a positive, big-picture narrative that went unchallenged by committee members.

Larsen contended that there have been improvements in Florida’s IT sector and policy since 2014, citing one independent authority (the Center for Digital Government) calling it “most improved” in 2016.

Larsen also discussed the state data center, noting that all costs expended are recovered from agencies.

Larsen also extolled facility consolidation as being “on time and under budget,” and discussed the agency’s role in IT security.

“There is no one size fits all approach to cybersecurity … no silver bullet,” Larsen added.

“We must protect the state’s data in our custody,” Larsen continued, noting funding was needed for continuing efforts.

Larsen advocated for a chief data officer also.

Despite the blistering audit earlier this year, the committee did not deliver tough questions that might have been asked. Or any questions at all, really.

Sen. Baxley lamented the lack of a “high-quality map” of his recently redrawn Senate district.

Baxley pointed to the agency’s “outstanding improvement.”

“I hope we will better use your obviously competent service,” Baxley said, thanking Larsen for handling “cybersecurity.”

“It’s good to know somebody’s watching. The price of freedom is eternal vigilance,” Baxley concluded.

After a blistering audit that raised myriad questions, one might have expected more from this committee than was delivered.

Meanwhile, the Florida House Government Operations & Technology Appropriations Subcommittee addresses the same material Wednesday afternoon.