A.G. Gancarski
Gov. Ron DeSantis picked a former ally in the State House for a key role at a Panhandle institution of higher learning.
Former Rep. Joel Rudman is one of four picks rolled out Friday for the Pensacola State College Board of Trustees.
Rudman resigned his House seat to run to succeed Matt Gaetz in Congress, but he lost the Primary last month to current Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis.
He said that soon after his last term in the House began that he believed Leadership was gearing up for a conflict with DeSantis he didn’t want, setting the stage for his run for federal office.
While he is out of elected office for the time being, he will play a key role on the college board, pending Senate confirmation.
In addition to Rudman, DeSantis nominated three other trustees Friday.
They include Edward Fleming, the Founding Partner of McDonald Fleming Attorneys At Law; Andrew Hobbs, the Chief Deputy of Administration for the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office; and Zachary Smith, a Senior Legal Fellow and Manager of the Supreme Court and Appellate Advocacy Program at the Heritage Foundation
