Surgeon General Resigns From Office Effective Jan. 8

Governor-elect Ron DeSantis has been slowly announcing the members of his transition team, and many have received praise. As some are set to assume office, others that have been working under Governor Scott are set to stay in place. However, there are also some that are voluntarily stepping down from their positions. One such person is the current Surgeon General, Celeste Philip, who announced her resignation from the Florida Department of Health. It will be effective January 8^th, and she did not provide information on what she will be working on next.

In an email sent to staff, Philip explained that she has “been blessed with an amazing 10-year career with the department, working and learning for five years in county health departments before joining the state office. It has been my greatest professional honor to serve as your leader and am grateful to Governor Scott for this opportunity and for his support of our department.”

Also joining her in stepping down is Health Care Administration Secretary Justin Senior who announced his own resignation effective January 8^th because he will be leading the Safety Net Hospital Alliance of Florida. It represents public, children’s and teaching hospitals.

In the email, Philip also explained that she hopes her staff “are as proud as I am of what we’ve accomplished over the past few years. As I have shared with many, I believe our department is well positioned to demonstrate to new leadership that public health professionals are talented, dedicated, and passionate about improving the lives of the people we serve --- even when we have been impacted personally, such as our colleagues in the Panhandle who recently lost their homes.”

Governor-elect DeSantis will have to name new secretaries for the health agencies, but no names have been rumored or announced as replacements as of yet.