Department of Economic Opportunity juggles top staff ahead of legislative retool

Meredith Ivey, Adam Callaway.

The Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) is seeing a number of leadership shake-ups as the agency readies for a rebrand.

DEO officials confirmed that as of June 9, Deputy Secretary of Community Development Ben Melnick, Chief Financial Officer Allyce Moriak and Economic Self Sufficiency Bureau Chief Debbie Smiley no longer work at DEO.

Meanwhile, other internal shifts are remaking leadership with familiar faces. The moves in a number of key positions take place as Alex Kelly, previously Deputy Chief of Staff to Gov. Ron DeSantis, takes over as DEO Secretary.

Meredith Ivey, who has served as acting DEO Secretary since January, will remain on as Deputy Secretary of Community Development. That means she replaced Melnick. Ivey had led the DEO since the departure of former DEO Secretary Dane Eagle.

Adam Callaway, previously Deputy Secretary of the Division of Strategic Business Development, will now serve as DEO Chief of Staff. He held his prior title since December of 2020, but has been the acting Chief of Staff under Ivey since January.

Tisha Womack, the DEO’s Deputy Chief Financial Officer since February 2022, now takes over as Chief Financial Officer, replacing Moriak.

“We look forward to the great work these individuals will continue to do to improve the lives of Floridians and positively develop Florida’s workforce, communities and businesses,” reads an email from DEO spokesperson Morgan Jones.

The shifts in personnel take effect at a time of significant changes within many Florida economic development entities.

DeSantis in June signed legislation eliminating Enterprise Florida. The same bill will revert the name of DEO to the Florida Department of Commerce, a previously long-abandoned moniker.

The law goes into effect on July 1.

At that point, some of the functions of Enterprise Florida will shift back under the Department of Commerce umbrella. That includes VISIT FLORIDA, Florida’s de facto tourism bureau. The agencies have been a source of controversy in Florida since 2017, when lawmakers called for elimination of the entities altogether, battling then-Gov. Rick Scott.