Staff Reports
In what he called a “continued effort to bring clarity to cryptocurrency in Florida,” Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis on Thursday announced that Ken Lawson, CEO of VISIT FLORIDA, would be his “cryptocurrency advisor.”
The role is an unpaid consulting position; Lawson will remain full-time at VISIT FLORIDA, the state’s public-private marketing tourism agency.
“He will lead efforts to identity a cryptocurrency chief and collaborate with stakeholders to ensure innovation and economic development are at the forefront while getting ahead of potential fraud,” a press release said. “Lawson will work with CFO Patronis’ law enforcement team, regulatory entities, existing cryptocurrencies, and business stakeholders.”
“Ken’s experience in both the private and public sectors, his investigatory work to protect our financial system, and work to drive economic growth in Florida, makes him a tremendous asset to the cryptocurrency space,” Patronis said in a statement.
“Considering the Seminole County Tax Collector now accepts bitcoin as a form of payment, two of Florida’s major metro areas are in the top 10 cities in the world that are cryptocurrency friendly, and Florida being a top target for consumer fraud, we need someone who has both the business and investigative experience to provide the needed guidance on our efforts to bring oversight to the industry,” he added.
“Ken is that individual and I know he will take every action possible to protect Floridians while making Florida the leader for emerging digital asset technology and innovative ideas.”
Added Lawson, “I’m thrilled to take on this advisory role to help bring transparency to cryptocurrency in Florida. In this role, I’ll be assisting the CFO in his efforts to ensure accountability and oversight for this important industry in Florida.
“Outside of my role at VISIT FLORIDA, I’m excited about working with CFO Patronis to accomplish his goal of protecting Floridians from criminals who seek to use new technology to scam people and allowing innovation to flourish in our state.”
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Here’s some background on Lawson, from the press release:
Lawson serves as president and CEO of VISIT FLORIDA, the state’s tourism marketing agency, and previously served as secretary of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation.
He has held several senior positions with federal law enforcement agencies, including serving as the Assistant Secretary of Enforcement for the Department of the Treasury where he had oversight of federal law enforcement agencies responsible for protection of America’s financial system.
Lawson also served as the Assistant Chief Counsel for Field Operations at the Transportation Security Administration, and an Assistant United States Attorney in the Criminal Division for the Middle District of Florida.
He also spent time in the financial services industries in the private sector, including a year as Chief of Party for the Financial Crimes Prevention Project in Jakarta, Indonesia, where he directed international anti-money laundering, anticorruption, and counterterrorist financing projects.
Lawson served as a Captain in the United States Marine Corps, Judge Advocate General’s Division.
