On Wednesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis turned to outgoing state House Majority Leader Dane Eagle, R-Cape Coral, to lead the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO).
After four terms in the Florida House, last month, Eagle was edged in the Republican primary by fellow state Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Naples, in the race to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Francis Rooney, R-Fla., in Congress.
DeSantis offered some of the rationales behind picking Eagle to serve as the executive director of DEO, replacing Ken Lawson who has been sidelined in recent months after drawing fire over the state’s unemployment system.
“Leader Eagle is an experienced legislator, a family man, and the right choice to lead DEO,” said DeSantis. “The Department has suffered some setbacks, but I have no doubt that Dane is up to the task. He is personable, enjoys broad bipartisan support, and I look forward to the many successes to come. Casey and I also congratulate Dane and his wife Brooke on the birth of their first child.”
“I am humbled and excited to serve Governor DeSantis and the people of Florida in this role,” said Eagle. “We enter in precarious times and I look forward to working with my former colleagues to effectuate change and lead DEO into a bright future. I thank the governor and the first lady for their friendship and well wishes. I can’t wait to get started.”
A commercial real estate broker, Eagle was first elected to the Florida House in 2012 and currently represents parts of Lee County.
Reach Kevin Derby at kevin.derby@floridadaily.com.
