DeSantis names health exec to key post
Memorial Healthcare System’s Shane Strum to be chief of staff
Republican Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis has picked a Broward County health care executive and political veteran to serve as his chief of staff.
Shane Strum, senior vice president of the Memorial Healthcare System in Hollywood, will begin his new job on Jan. 8, the transition team announced Monday.
“Having spent many years in both the private and public sector and previously serving two Florida governors, Shane will be a great addition to our team,” DeSantis said in a prepared statement.
Strum, a former chairman of the Broward County Republican Party, served as chief of staff to former Gov. Charlie Crist from October 2009 to January 2011. He also served as a transition adviser to Gov. Rick Scott when Scott started his first term in 2011.
DeSantis toured the Brauser Maimonides Academy in Fort Lauderdale on Monday morning and attended a round-table discussion on school security.
He called on the Legislature to continue funding to protect nonpublic Jewish schools, referencing the Oct. 27 shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh that left 11 people dead. He also reiterated his support for a state program that provides scholarships for low-income students and children with disabilities to attend private schools.
For the 2018-19 budget year, Florida allocated $2 million to boost security at Jewish schools. The funds can be used to install video cameras, fences, bulletproof glass, alarm systems and other safety equipment.
DeSantis’ stop in Fort Lauderdale marked the first official visit to South Florida since a Pablo Ibar,
recount finished and the results were certified. He defeated Democratic challenger Andrew Gillum by about 32,000 votes.
Speaking to reporters after the school tour, DeSantis said he agreed with Broward County elections head Brenda Snipes’ decision to resign effective Jan. 4.
“We need to get somebody in there who is going to run a problem-free election in 2020,” DeSantis said. “It needs to be transparent. It needs to follow the law.”