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Gov. Bush appoints business regulator
By ALISA ULFERTS, Times Staff Writer
TALLAHASSEE -- Gov. Jeb Bush appointed a new chief business regulator Thursday, picking a long-time Tallahassee lawyer and former assistant general counsel for the state's biggest business lobby. Diane W. Carr, 47, will take over the Department of Business and Professional Regulation on Jan. 21, the agency's third leader in four years. The Department oversees the regulation of alcoholic beverages and restaurants, plus professions ranging from asbestos consultation to veterinary medicine. Almost immediately, Carr will have to help the Legislature navigate the antismoking measure voters approved this fall. The constitutional amendment bans smoking in most public workplaces, including restaurants that had a smoking section. Legislators have to pass laws to fill in the amendment's details. Carr said she didn't vote for the amendment, but said she stands ready to carry it out. "I voted against it because I think it's unnecessary regulation," Carr said, adding: "Obviously it's a very complex issue, but the people of the state have spoken." Bush, who voted for the amendment, said he's confident of Carr's ability to enforce it and all the other aspects of her job. "'I think her skill sets are ideally suited to the job," Bush said. Carr takes over a department that has long attracted unfavorable attention, particularly since Bush first appointed Tampa lawyer Cynthia Henderson in early 1999 to run it. In September 2000, Bush moved her to the Department of Management Services, where she led the governor's effort to privatize personnel services and managed state buildings. That same month, Bush hired Kim Binkley-Seyer, a shopping center developer and real estate broker in Sarasota, for the post. Her stewardship was marked by disputes with lawmakers and several of the industries she regulated. Senate President Jim King reportedly advised the governor that she would not win Senate confirmation next year. The department just received an F for diversity from the Capital Outlook, a small African-American newspaper based in Tallahassee. The weekly paper said the grade was because only one of its 20 senior mangement positions was held by an African-American. Businesses, especially smaller businesses, will be watching to see how Carr handles her new duties. Carr has served both as assistant general counsel to Associated Industries, a big-business lobbying group, and as general counsel to the Florida Retail Foundation.
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From the Times Business report
From the AP
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