Dec 19, 2006 10:08 pm US/Eastern
Butterworth Named By Crist To Head DCF
Democrat Butterworth Is Former Attorney General
by Michele Gillen
TALLAHASSEE (CBS4) ―
Republican Governor-elect Charlie Crist on Tuesday named his predecessor as attorney general, Democrat Bob Butterworth, to head the state's social services agency. Butterworth is a former Broward County Sheriff, and currently dean of St. Thomas Law School.
Crist is turning over one of Florida's most beleaguered agencies, the Department of Children and Families, to one of the state's most respected Democrats. Butterworth served as attorney general for 16 years before being forced out by term limits in 2002, when Crist was elected.
Butterworth, who is 64, has since served as dean of St. Thomas University Law School since leaving the Attorney General's office. He is one of the most popular and well known Broward politicians, having served as a Broward County prosecutor, judge and sheriff, mayor of Sunrise and head of the state's Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
He earned a reputation early on for taking on tough challenges. On his way to prominence, Butterworth became the party's fireman of sorts, taking jobs where there were problems or political turmoil.
Butterworth, however, lost a 2002 state Senate race to Republican Jeff Atwater.
Butterworth will replace Lucy Hadi, who was the third secretary of the agency under Gov. Jeb Bush.
Hadi replaced Jerry Regier, who left DCF after he and several top aides accepted favors from contractors doing business with the agency. Bush's first appointee, Kathleen Kearney, served nearly four years, but resigned shortly before Bush's 2004 re-election following the disappearance of a 5-year-old Miami girl, Rilya Wilson, in the state's foster care system.
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