2 top public health positions in Ron DeSantis' administration are vacant
Two of the top public health officials in Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration have left their jobs in recent months, and their positions remain vacant.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Two of the top public health officials in Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration — responsible for tracking and preventing the spread of communicable diseases — have left their positions in recent months.
The departures come as public health is increasingly being politicized, and some experts say it leaves the state facing a "serious health risk."
Late last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an alert after four cases of malaria, which is spread by mosquitoes, were found in Florida for the first time in two decades. As a result, the Florida Health Department has issued an advisory on mosquito-borne illnesses.
DeSantis’ hands-off approach during the height of the Covid pandemic made him a star with conservatives nationally, and he regularly touts his strategy in his 2024 presidential campaign. But the approach has also given Florida the reputation of being ground zero for how the division in public health administration is treated.
The openings are in the Florida Health Department’s Bureau of Epidemiology, which plays a key role in monitoring and combating the spread of disease in the state.
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