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Former Bay Area Lawyer, Lawmaker Gets Nod To Run DCF

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TBO.com

Published: August 15, 2008

George Sheldon

Gov. Charlie Crist has appointed George Sheldon, a former Tampa Bay area lawyer and legislator who once ran against Crist for education commissioner, as acting head of the Department of Children & Families.

Sheldon replaces longtime friend and political ally Bob Butterworth, who stepped down from the post today amid praise from Crist as "the definition of a true public servant."

Sheldon was Butterworth's right-hand man at DCF and previously when Butterworth was state attorney general and dean of the St. Thomas University School of Law in Miami Gardens.

A graduate of Florida State University and the FSU law school, Sheldon worked as a lawyer and consultant in the Bay area and was elected to the state House of Representatives in 1974 from St. Petersburg, serving four two-year terms.

Sheldon has served as assistant secretary for operations at DCF since February 2007. DCF administers programs dealing with a host of issues, including child abuse prevention, financial assistance and mental health care.

Before joining DCF, Sheldon was associate dean for student and alumni services at St. Thomas University School of Law. Appointed in August 2003 by then-Dean Butterworth, he oversaw $2 million in physical improvements to the law school.

From 1999 to 2003, Sheldon was deputy attorney general to Attorney General Butterworth. Born in 1947 in Wildwood, N.J., Sheldon began his career in 1967 with the Florida Department of State, then became aide to Sen. Reubin Askew, a Democrat, and later served in Askew's administration when Askew was governor.

In 2000, Democrat Sheldon and Republican Crist faced off for the education job. The campaign occasionally was nasty; Crist ran a television ad that brought up a 16-year-old DUI charge against Sheldon, accusing Sheldon of setting a bad example for young people.

He kept running it until news broke that President Bush had an old DUI bust. He pulled the ad.

Here is Crist's announcement today:

"For 35 years he [Butterworth] has dedicated himself to serving the people of Florida -- as a sheriff, as a judge, and as Attorney General. He served as our top law enforcement official for 16 years, making him not just the longest-serving in Florida history but the best. He is the definition of a true public servant. He is a role model for all of us, and he will be missed.

"Also, today I am appointing George Sheldon to serve as interim Secretary of the Department of Children and Families. George has served as assistant secretary under Bob and will continue the hard work of his predecessor."

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