Perdue Tapped to Lead Department of Transportation

Jared Perdue, who has led the Department of Transportation’s District Five in Central Florida, was named Thursday by Gov. Ron DeSantis to serve as state transportation secretary.

Perdue has been with the state agency for about 18 years and replaces former Secretary Kevin Thibault, who stepped down from the $200,000-a-year position to become chief executive officer of the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority.

“Secretary Perdue brings a wealth of knowledge and understands the unique aspects of Florida’s transportation industry,” DeSantis said in a prepared statement. As district secretary, Perdue oversaw completion of the I-4 Ultimate Project and the Wekiva Parkway project. Perdue was paid $180,475 a year.

Thibault had run the Department of Transportation since being selected by DeSantis in January 2019. Perdue was among three candidates recommended for the job by the Florida Transportation Commission, along with former Miami-Dade County Transit Director Alice Bravo and Marcus Lemon, a former chief counsel for the Federal Highway Administration in the George W. Bush administration.

News Service of Florida The Floridian Publisher Javier Manjarres contributed to this story