Governor appoints senator
To the editor:
The process of selecting a United States Senator has been guided by the intent to select someone of great honor and integrity, who also has demonstrated a commitment to serve the people of our state.
I am grateful to the Floridians we considered for this appointment for their service in their respective capacities, and for their patience with this process. They are honorable men and women of great distinction, and I thank them all for their wisdom and their candor.
I am also grateful to Sen. Mel Martinez for his years of service to our great state. His is a story that illustrates the American Dream for so many in this country and around the world. I wish him and his family well as he transitions back into private life.
The guiding principle of my career, my campaigns, and our administration has been public service. I have had the great honor to work with so many hard working public servants who choose to put service above self in ways that inspire and encourage me to continue my commitment to the people each and every day.
So many of the individuals who serve in our administration sacrifice time with their families and financial opportunities in the private sector to give back to the very communities that nurtured their upbringing in our great state and around the country.
George LeMieux has been a tremendous example of this very type of commitment. When the private sector first called, George chose the path of public service to first serve as Deputy Attorney General, and then as Chief of Staff in our administration.
I am proud to inform you that I am appointing former Deputy Attorney General George LeMieux to the United States Senate where he will serve the remainder of Sen. Mel Martinez’s term.
He has argued before the United States Supreme Court and played an integral role in the creation of the Florida Cyber Crime Unit. He was instrumental in developing legislation to provide handheld devices to protect our children and to improve higher education for our students.
He has built a beautiful family with his wife Meike and their three wonderful boys all while fighting for Florida’s families, small business owners and seniors.
May God bless you and the great state of Florida.
Charlie Crist
Florida Governor