Good afternoon Chairman Latvala and Senators of the Committee.  I appreciate the opportunity to appear before you and to provide a statement for your consideration.

I have now been serving in Governor Scott’s administration for over three years, first in his counsel’s office and for the past sixteen months as the head of the Department of Economic Opportunity.  I feel very fortunate to have had these opportunities to serve the people of Florida, and am especially grateful for the chance to implement the sound economic policies that Governor Scott and this Legislature have enacted over the last three years.

Florida’s economy is resurgent and our economic turnaround is leading the nation.  Florida has had the second largest decline in unemployment in the nation, our private sector has added more than 540,000 jobs since December 2010, and job demand has been at record highs.  These positive developments are not happening by chance.  Policy matters.  By keeping taxes low and regulation sensible, Governor Scott and this Legislature have created the pro-growth environment that has fostered Florida’s nation-leading economic turnaround. 

As I’ve interacted with Floridians from around the state, I’ve come to understand that our economic turnaround is not just about the unemployment rate and job counts.  It’s about people’s lives.  Those half-a-million jobs are a new start for families in this state who were devastated by the recession.  The 95 million tourists we welcomed last year are income for family businesses that struggled in recent years to make ends meet.  The 260,000 job openings in our state are a promise for the future for those still struggling or looking to advance.  Working at DEO has taught me that policy matters to people’s lives, and that we at the Department have to remember that each and every day.

When I appeared before the Senate last year for confirmation, I pledged that transparency, accountability, and efficiency would be the watchwords of my tenure at DEO.  I also noted that the agency was still in its infancy, and that I would endeavor to realize the vision of the 2011 legislation that created DEO out of three legacy agencies.  A year later, I am pleased to report the progress we have made.

As a general matter, I can report that the three distinct agencies that originally formed DEO have melded into a single culture pursuing a unified mission.  Through a variety of agency-wide initiatives, we have strengthened the ties between economic, community, and workforce programs, while also streamlining agency operations and advancing employee morale and development.

In recent confirmation hearings, I detailed accomplishments across the agency.  In the interest of time, I respectfully refer the Committee back to that testimony for a more complete picture of all that has been accomplished in recent months. 

Highlighting just briefly, I note that the Division of Strategic Business Development has implemented a host of new measures to enhance accountability and transparency with respect to economic incentives, including a first-of-its kind website that allows the public to view and research comprehensive information on all non-confidential incentive deals with an executed contract. 

The Division of Community Development has likewise undertaken a comprehensive review of many of its grant and loan programs to ensure efficacy, accountability, and transparency.  It has also launched new initiatives to help rural communities plan for future economic growth. 

The Division of Workforce Services has continued its efforts to help Floridians get back to work.  For example, the Division continues to perfect the Occupational Supply & Demand system, a nationally recognized web tool that allows job seekers, employers, economic development officials, and policymakers to calibrate to a changing job market by comparing total labor supply against short- and long-term labor demands.  The Division has also spent the last year focusing on workforce populations that deserve special attention: the agricultural and migrant workforce, veterans, and persons with disabilities.   

In October 2013, the Division of Workforce Services also launched Connect, a multi-year redesign of the thirty-year-old, obsolete computer system used for Reemployment Assistance.  As is well known, technical problems surrounded the launch and caused delays for some claimants, but as I have reported in prior testimony, we have turned the corner and claimant service in the RA unit is now better than performance under the old system.  Additional challenges may, of course, arise, but we will do what is necessary to serve Floridians, fix problems, and optimize performance.

In sum, the Department has had a very busy year, with many accomplishments.  Like any large and complex organization, we faced our share of challenges.  But I would submit that the measure of leadership is not whether the challenges come, but how the agency responds when they inevitably do come.  I am proud of the staff at DEO and all of our accomplishments these past sixteen months.  I am grateful for their service and support, as my record is a reflection of their hard work. 

I am also grateful to Governor Scott for his confidence in me and my team.  Being a part of his administration and the economic turnaround he has helped foster is one of the great professional privileges of my life.

I thank the Committee for considering my nomination and I welcome any questions you may have.