Crist names interim secretary for DCF
Crist names interim secretary for DCF
Governor Charlie Crist has named George Sheldon to work as interim secretary of the Department of Children & Families to replace the departing Bob Butterworth. Butterworth, 65, was Florida's longest-serving attorney general, from 1987 through 2002.
''George has served as assistant secretary under Bob and will continue the hard work of his predecessor,'' Crist said in a statement released Friday morning.
He sent on the laud Butterworth saying, "For 35 years he has dedicated himself to serving the people of Florida—as a sheriff, as a judge, and as Attorney General. He served as our top law enforcement official for 16 years, making him not just the longest-serving in Florida history but the best. He is the definition of a true public servant. He is a role model for all of us, and he will be missed.
Friday is Butterworth's last day on the job as DCF chief, a position he's held since January 2007.
'"It is time to pass the torch to a new secretary,'' Butterworth told Crist in a resignation letter. "It's not that all the problems are solved. This agency will never be able to say, ‘Mission accomplished.’ We only look at the accomplishments these past 19 months and say, ‘Keep it going.’"
In his letter to Crist, Butterworth described the job as "one of the most challenging and rewarding opportunities in my four decades of public service."
