The move comes after the Department of Children and Families leader apologized for fraternizing with lobbyists.
By JONI JAMES and ALISA ULFERTS
Published August 31, 2004
TALLAHASSEE - Florida Department of Children and Families Secretary Jerry Regier resigned Monday, six weeks after apologizing for fraternizing with lobbyists who did business with his agency.
Regier announced the resignation at an abruptly called news conference with Gov. Jeb Bush, who appointed him to the post two years ago after his predecessor quit over a missing Miami girl.
Regier said he was proud of his accomplishments but acknowledged he was frustrated over continuing attention to an inspector general's investigation that showed he and two of his top technology employees accepted favors from lobbyists or contractors.
"I think at some point perception overtakes reality," Regier said.
The controversy "probably played a part, but it wasn't the reason" he quit, Regier said. "Here we have seen tremendous progress and yet we continue to have people talk about the beleaguered department and we can't get it right."
Bush lamented Regier's decision, saying he asked Regier to reconsider over the weekend after they first discussed it Thursday. Bush said he has no plans for a replacement. Regier, whose salary was $155,000, agreed to stay on for an undetermined period of weeks.
Bush praised Regier for increasing adoptions by 42 percent, reducing the number of backlogged child welfare investigations from 32,000 to 175, cutting DCF's employee turnover rate by half and cutting caseloads from 30 to between 12 and 20.
"We have seen improvement in the fundamental way in which the department is managed," Bush said. Those successes have often been overshadowed "by the tragic examples of where it didn't work," Bush said.
The most recent example: Regier was hard-pressed to explain DCF's failures earlier this summer when a 10-year-old Brooksville girl who weighed just 29 pounds was discovered only after her brother ran away from the home where DCF had placed them.
But Bush was infuriated by Regier's apparent lack of understanding of the strict ethics code he requires his employees to sign.
"I'm surprised it took this long," said Florida Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher. "There are some strong ethical demands on everybody in this administration. We have a lot stronger ethics than other states. If you don't realize that, you're destined to get hurt."
State employees who are subject to annual financial disclosure, such as agency heads or purchasing chiefs, are banned from accepting gifts worth more than $100 from lobbyists. But Bush lowered the ban to $25 for his employees and demanded they avoid any appearance of impropriety.
An inspector general's report last month found Regier and his wife had stayed overnight in the Longboat Key beach home of lobbyist Jim Bax, who also hosted a birthday party for Regier attended by other lobbyists. Regier also sought access to concerts and events from lobbyist Don Yaeger.
The report also found that two DCF employees in charge of millions in technology purchases had accepted free trips from vendors and that Regier had ignored high-ranking employees' warnings about the improprieties.
"I guess I feel kind of sad it had to come to this," said Rep. Sandra Murman, R-Tampa, chairwoman of the Florida House social services budget committee who supported Regier until recent weeks. "But you have to play by the rules no matter what you do in government."
Regier's tenure in Florida was launched in controversy. He replaced Kathleen Kearney, a Broward County judge tapped by Bush to lead the agency in 1999. She resigned over the disappearance of Rilya Wilson, a 5-year-old foster child in Miami who was missing for more than a year before the agency noticed.
Bush hired Regier in August 2002 with orders to overhaul the department, which had a 52 percent turnover rate and employee caseloads of 30 or more.
But his duties quickly were overshadowed by his own personal political history. Regier, 59, who holds master's degrees from Harvard University and the International School of Theology in California, founded the Family Research Council.
The council published essays in the 1980s carrying his name that said women should consider work outside the home "bondage" and that "biblical" spanking that causes "bruises and welts" should not be considered child abuse. Regier said he didn't write them and had already quit the organization.
Shortly after taking office, Regier forced out eight top employees and instituted a character course with links to a well-known evangelist for agency employees.
In spring 2003, he helped Bush seek a guardian for the fetus of a mentally retarded woman who had been raped in a long-term care facility and who was under the care of the state.
When the Florida Senate finally voted 25-12 to confirm Regier in May 2003, Democrats protested.
But Regier drew Bush's ire last year when he signed on to run a friend's legislative campaign in Oklahoma.
He gave that up after Bush publicly complained that it sent the message that Regier was not giving all his attention to his job.
Sen. Frederica Wilson, a Miami Democrat and one of Regier's fiercest critics, called on him to resign last month after the inspector general's report became public. On Monday, Wilson said she was glad to see him go.
"He brought a lot of baggage as it related to procurement," Wilson said. "I'm sure the governor should be embarrassed if he's not."
Despite improvements to the agency since Regier took it over, Wilson said she's not impressed with the results: "In fact I've seen some sliding backward."
But Gerard Glynn said it doesn't matter who runs the agency if the state doesn't make it a priority. Glynn, executive director of the advocacy group Florida's Children First, said he classified Regier's resignation as a neutral development for the state.
"It's not about who runs the agency. It's about whether the state is making the commitment. Given the resources, no one could do the job," Glynn said.
Indeed, Regier's first budget request to Bush included a proposed increase of more than $400-million, which Bush cut in half when he later submitted his budget recommendations to the Legislature.
"Secretary Regier asked for $400-million when he came into office and he didn't get it. ... We change the chairs on the Titanic and call it a solution," Glynn said.
Times staff writer Lucy Morgan contributed to this report.
FORMER AGENCY HEADSGREGORY L. COLER
TERM: February 1987 to January 1991
APPOINTED BY: Gov. Bob Martinez
Coler was part of an FBI investigation over a contract he awarded a friend while director of the Department of Public Aid in Illinois. He continued to award state contracts to friends as head of the Florida agency. The Ethics Commission questioned his use of state cars. He resigned before Gov. Lawton Chiles took office.
ROBERT B. WILLIAMS
TERM: January 1991 to March 1993
APPOINTED BY: Gov. Lawton Chiles
Williams presided over a computer scandal that led to a grand jury investigation and a computer mistake that kept more than 200,000 ineligible people on Medicaid rolls. Williams resigned, citing health problems.
BUDDY MacKAY
TERM: March to July 1993
APPOINTED BY: Gov. Lawton Chiles
MacKay took over the agency as lieutenant governor.
JIM TOWEY
TERM: July 1993 to June 1995
APPOINTED BY: Gov. Lawton Chiles
A devout Catholic who worked with Mother Teresa, he argued with the Republican-controlled Senate against budget cuts. Towey was effectively fired when the Senate refused to confirm his appointment.
EDWARD A. FEAVER
TERM: June 1995 to January 1999
APPOINTED BY: Gov. Lawton Chiles
Feaver was appointed to temporarily head the agency when Towey was not confirmed. Kayla McKean, 6, is killed by her father in November 1998. She was not removed from her home, despite the fact that as many as 10 caseworkers were involved in her case.
KATHLEEN A. KEARNEY
TERM: January 1999 to August 2002
APPOINTED BY: Gov. Jeb Bush
DCF tells Miami police that Rilya Wilson, 5, of Miami has been missing for 15 months. She was supposed to be under state supervision.
Compiled by Times researcher Cathy Wos, using Times files.
