Secretary of the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) Simone Martiller will step down, the first departure in what could be a busy transition for the newly re-elected governor. Ron DeSantis.
DeSantis announced in a tweet Monday that Marstiller was leaving his administration. He said Marstiller “led the way in promoting transparency and accountability in health care, fighting for patient rights and opposing vax mandates. She has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to Floridians – I thank her for her service and wish her the best in her retirement.
Many senior officials routinely leave state government and join prominent lobbying and legal firms in Tallahassee, where they were able to immediately lobby the Legislative Assembly. But this will no longer be allowed at the end of the year. Marsiller’s departure comes weeks before the new lobbying ban takes effect.
.@AHCA_FL Second. @SMarstiller led the way in promoting transparency and accountability in healthcare, fighting for patients’ rights and opposing vax mandates. She has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to Floridians – I thank her for her service and wish her the best in her retirement.
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) November 21, 2022
Marstilling tweeted in response. “It has been a privilege and a blessing to work with you on such important issues. May God continue to direct your steps as you lead the great FREE State of Florida.
Thank you, Governor! It has been a privilege and a blessing to work with you on such important issues. May God continue to direct your steps as you lead the great FREE State of Florida.
— Simone Marstiller (@SMartiller) November 21, 2022
Marstiller submitted his resignation letter to the governor on November 9. His resignation takes effect on December 30.
“With faith, I am now entering a new chapter in my personal and professional life not knowing what will come next but knowing that now is the right time and I am confident that I will be able to use all that I have done and learned. in the continued service of my man,” she wrote in the resignation letter.
Marstiller was named secretary of the AHCA in February 2021, and prior to that he was in charge of the Department of Juvenile Justice. Marstiller, who was once an appeals court judge, had spent several years with the Gunster law firm where, in 2018, she signed up to lobby the executive on behalf of Associated Industries of Florida. .
Marstiller replaced Acting Secretary Shevaun Harris, who had been appointed head of the agency after Mary Mayhew resigned to lead the Florida Hospital Association. Harris was later transferred from the AHCA and named Secretary of the Department of Children and Families.
Florida voters first approved a six-year lobbying ban in 2018 and called for it to be overturned at the end of this year. During the 2022 regular session, state lawmakers passed legislation that made it clear which executive branch officials were covered by the ban and created penalties for anyone who violates the new ban.
The current law only requires senior state officials to wait two years before they can lobby their former employer. The new ban also contains a much broader ban on lobbying, so former agency heads are not only barred from lobbying their former employers, but are also barred from lobbying the legislature.
The AHCA is home to the state’s Medicaid program and is also the agency responsible for regulating health care facilities, from abortion clinics to nursing homes to hospitals.
DeSantis announced last week on social media that the Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo would have continue to be part of the administration as DeSantis begins his second term as governor.
Post views: 0
#Agency #Health #Care #Administration #Secretary #Simone #Marstiller #calls #quits