Cissy Proctor, who has served for nearly a year as chief of staff at the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, was named Thursday by Gov. Rick Scott to run the jobs agency.
Proctor will replace Jesse Panuccio, the department’s executive director who two weeks ago announced he will leave Jan. 8 to pursue unspecified endeavors.
Scott, who is pushing lawmakers to boost incentives for business recruitment from $43 million this year to $250 million next fiscal year, praised Proctor for having a strong background in legislative affairs.
“Her great work to support job growth for Florida families is a strong testament to the work she will do as executive director,” Scott said in a statement. “She will provide leadership and help make Florida first for jobs.”
Proctor joined the department — which oversees the state’s business incentives programs and unemployment claims — in January 2013, serving as deputy legislative affairs director and director of the Division of Strategic Business Development before the promotion to chief of staff in January 2015.
Before going to work for the state, she was an attorney at the Tallahassee-based firm Bryant Miller Olive.
Senate President Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando, issued a statement thanking Scott for “swiftly” naming Panuccio’s replacement and said he looks forward to working with Proctor on job-creation policy and funding reforms.
In addition to seeking $250 million for business incentives, Scott has proposed revamping the incentives process.
Included in the changes are proposals to create the Florida Enterprise Fund, a trust fund that would keep designated incentive money in the state treasury until companies reach job-creation goals, and to let the House speaker and Senate president sign off on deals that top $1 million instead of waiting for the Joint Legislative Budget Commission to give approval.