TALLAHASSEE – State Rep. Fred Hawkins, R-St. Cloud, was selected Wednesday by South Florida State College trustees to succeed retiring school president Thomas Leitzel.
Hawkins, who has served in the House since 2020, was the only finalist for the position. Details of Hawkins’ proposed contract will not be available until a June 21 trustees meeting, a South Florida State College spokesman said.
Leitzel will retire on June 30, and Hawkins is expected to take over as chairman on July 3, pending approval of a contract.
Hawkins did not immediately return a request for comment Wednesday from The News Service of Florida. But last month, after being named the sole finalist, Hawkins suggested his time as an elected official would soon be over.
“Pages turn and new chapters begin. I am looking forward to becoming the next president of South Florida State College. My time as an elected official has been the highlight of my life, especially serving in the Florida House,” Hawkins said in a May 10 Twitter post.
Hawkins served from 2008 to 2020 on the Osceola County Commission. But Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended him in July 2020 after Hawkins was charged with impersonating a law enforcement officer. Hawkins was elected to the House in November 2020.
During a special legislative session this year, Hawkins sponsored a high-profile bill that was a priority for DeSantis. The bill gave DeSantis authority to appoint the board of the former Reedy Creek Improvement District, which was also renamed the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. The change came amid a dispute between DeSantis and The Walt Disney Co., which had long profited from the Reedy Creek district.
A DeSantis spokesman did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday about the selection of Hawkins as president of the university, which has campuses in Highlands, DeSoto and Hardee counties.
Critics of Hawkins’ selection have suggested that the choice was purely political.
“Another GOP politician with no real qualifications for a job like this is appointed to lead a university. Institutions of higher education should not serve as job placement schemes for political cronies. The deception is real” , Florida Democratic National Committeeman Thomas Kennedy said in a post on Twitter on Wednesday.
In recent weeks, three candidates have filed to run for the Hawkins House District 35 seat in Osceola and Orange counties. The candidates ran for the 2024 election. But with Hawkins vacating the seat, DeSantis will likely call a special election to determine a replacement.
Republican Demetries Andrew Grimes and Democrat Tom Keen opened campaign accounts in May, while Democrat Rishi Bagga launched a campaign account Monday.
Grimes voiced her support for Hawkins on Wednesday.
“Congratulations to (Hawkins) on being officially named president of South Florida State College! The school is in good hands,” Grimes said in a tweet.
Meanwhile, Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, voiced her support for Bagga in a possible special election.
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“Let the special election begin, excited to see (Bagga) run again!” Eskamani said in a tweet.
Democratic data consultant Matthew Isbell raised the possibility that the seat could go to Democrats, who are heavily outnumbered in the Legislature.
“With the resignation of Rep. Fred Hawkins, this +5 Biden seat opens up. Democrats flipping this seat would be another morale boost. It was red in 2022 with very lopsided turnout. The big Q (question) will be the force that will have the hispanic turnout game in the dems. 80% of the vote is from orange (county),” Isbell said in a tweet.
By Ryan Dailey, Florida News Service
