Florida Transportation Commission to interview 5 for DOT secretary`

Updated May 30, 2017

Img 0011The Florida Transportation Commission (FTC) has selected five candidates for the Secretary of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), with interviews scheduled for May 11.

Former FDOT Secretary Jim Boxold, who took the position in January 2015, resigned effective Feb. 3 this year to serve as a lobbyist at Capital City Consulting. Rachel Cone has been serving as interim secretary.

The FTC will meet May 17 to narrow the field down to three for the Gov. Rick Scott to consider. The five finalists include:

  • Richard M. Biter, former assistant secretary of Intermodal Systems Development, Florida Department of Transportation
  • Gene Conti, former secretary, North Carolina Department of Transportation
  • Michael J. Dew, chief of staff, Florida Department of Transportation
  • Phillip W. Gainer, P.E., district secretary, Florida Department of Transportation
  • Ronald Howse, P.E./P.S.M., commissioner, Florida Transportation Commission

The interviews will be conducted via GoToWebinar and will be viewable by the public due to the state’s “Government in the Sunshine” laws. The commission will post details on accessing the interviews on its website at https://www.ftc.state.fl.us/.

The FTC had extended the deadline for resume submissions to May 1. FTC Chairman Jay Trumbull says that was done in order to “complete a robust search” and to conduct the interviews after the state legislative session had ended.

The new secretary will oversee a department with an annual budget of roughly $10.8 billion and more than 6,000 employees.