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Florida has a new secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection.

At their first meeting today, the Governor and State Cabinet confirmed the appointment of Herschel Vinyard. Before being appointed the head of DEP, Vinyard was an executive at a Jacksonville shipyard. Chief Financial Officer and state cabinet member Jeff Atwater says Vinyard’s experience in shipping will help him in his new role.

“He knows Florida, he knows the importance of navigable waters and his work experiences and I think he has expressed and shown a ‘sensitivity’ that you can’t exploit your return on investment on any particular project for the long term value of sustainable Florida. I think he’s articulated that well and I’m excited to see him get in the spot and get going,” said Atwater.

Scott is asking Vinyard to review the state’s environmental regulations to see if any can be safely lifted in an effort jumpstart development and the economy.