Patt Maney, three others picked by Gov. DeSantis for Semiquincentennial Commission

A state legislator is one of four Gov. Ron DeSantis picks for Florida’s Semiquincentennial Advisory Commission, as the United States readies to celebrate its 250th birthday next year.

As DeSantis says, they will be on “an advisory commission to work in conjunction with the Florida Department of State to make recommendations for Florida’s observance of the upcoming Semiquincentennial anniversary of America’s independence in 2026.”

Rep. Patt Maney of Okaloosa County is the only elected official of the four selections. The former judge was elected three times with more than 70% of the vote in each ballot test since 2020.

The three non-elected officials have resumes worth mentioning also.

Jacqueline Gay Gaines served as vice regent and regent of the the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association. In that capacity, she worked to get pictures of President George Washington back in American classrooms.

Lucas Morel, the John K. Boardman, Jr. Professor of Politics and Head of the Politics Department at Washington and Lee University, got his doctorate at the conservative Claremont Institute.

He is perhaps best known for writing “Lincoln and the American Founding” and “Lincoln’s Sacred Effort: Defining Religion’s Role in American Self-Government” and editing “Lincoln and Liberty: Wisdom for the Ages.”

Matthew Spalding is a Claremont fellow who serves dual roles at Hillsdale College, which Gov. DeSantis sees as a model. To that end, he appointed Spalding to the board of New College, helping to drive that school’s transformation in recent years.

He is the Kirby Professor in Constitutional Government and the Dean of the Van Andel Graduate School of Government at the school’s Washington, D.C. campus.

“I applaud Governor Ron DeSantis for appointing commissioners who will honor the exceptionalism of American history and American values,” said Secretary of State Cord Byrd, in a press release announcing the picks.