Donald Trump taps troubled Florida agency chief for high-ranking Homeland Security post

President Donald Trump is again looking to the Sunshine State to fill a high-ranking position in his administration.

This time he’s tapping Florida Department of Management Services (DMS) Secretary Pedro Allende, whose use of the agency’s finances and operations have faced scrutiny in recent months, to serve in the Department of Homeland Security.

Trump nominated Allende this week to serve as Under Secretary for Science and Technology following the resignation of Dimitri Kusnezov, who took the job in 2022 under then-President Joe Biden.

Allende previously worked for several federal agencies, including Homeland Security, during Trump’s first term. He was among more than 100 former Trump administration officials who backed Gov. Ron DeSantis for President last year.

The U.S. Senate received the nomination May 6. It has since been referred to the chamber’s Homeland Security and Government Operations Committee.

A recent inquiry into Allende’s performance at his current job could factor into whether he gets a new gig under Trump.

In late March, the Florida House State Administration Budget Subcommittee, led by Miami Republican state Rep. Vicki Lopez, moved to withhold Allende’s $210,842 salary until he answered questions about DMS operations, funding and resources.

The furlough hasn’t gone into effect. And it’s a difficult task, requiring approval by the full Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis’ signoff.

At issue was Allende’s handling of the agency’s $1.1 billion budget. Concerns include six-figure salaries paid to four out-of-state employees who billed Florida for large travel expenses, and an apparently missing fleet of 2,200 state vehicles — valued at more than $57 million — for which DMS cannot account, according to a January report from the state Auditor General.

Allende, a Miami lawyer, reported spending close to $25,000 to travel since August 2022, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, which said that a “typical entry was a plane trip to Tallahassee on May 26, 2023, for a ‘public meeting.’ The ticket cost $831.”

There’s also a $237 million deficit in the state employees’ health insurance trust fund and persisting disrepair at the state Capitol, despite a reported expenditure from DMS for $60 million in repairs.

Lopez, who has an accounting degree, demanded answers. But Allende skipped the March 27 meeting to attend a cybersecurity conference in Washington, sending a deputy instead.

“To this day, nearly a month following the Auditor General’s report to this subcommittee, (Allende) has no idea how many vehicles the state of Florida owns. It’s his job to know,” Lopez said at the March 27 meeting.

DMS retorted on X, writing, “Contrary to what was said today, the Department has worked diligently to address all concerns raised by the committee from the very beginning of Session.”

Last month, Lopez and House Budget Committee Chair Lawrence McClure requested additional DMS records and gave Allende until May 16 to provide them, according to Florida Trident, which first reported Allende’s appointment by Trump.

Lopez told the outlet she didn’t know how the appointment would affect the ongoing probe into Allende’s management, or mismanagement, of DMS.

But his unwillingness to comply with the House’s demands for answers, she said, suggests “he’s checked out.”

DeSantis appointed Allende to lead DMS in June 2022 and tapped him to serve on the state Government Efficiency Task Force in November 2023.