The departure of Taylor Hatch Friday from her post as secretary of the Department of Children and Families may signal the start of an exodus from the administration of Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Hatch’s move comes roughly six months before a new governor will be sworn in to replace DeSantis after his eight years in office.
She’s not alone.
Ricky Dixon, who had been secretary of the Department of Corrections since 2021, retired at the end of June. Anastasios Kamoutas, who had been education commissioner since 2025, started his new job as president of Polk State College Monday.
Although there’s been turnover at some of the high-profile agencies, things have been quiet at the Florida Department of Health. State Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo doubles as DOH secretary. While DeSantis appeared to be advocating on behalf of Ladapo for a job in Washington, D.C., those efforts haven’t came to fruition.
It’s not uncommon for high-ranking state officials from one administration to depart ahead of a transition to a new governor, but it means some important jobs in state government may go months without a permanent leader.
“It’ll be perfectly natural for his agency heads to start leaving, you know, as they find new positions somewhere,” said longtime Tallahassee attorney Julie Gallagher, who worked for the administrations of both Govs. Bob Graham and Jeb Bush. “Or, they wait until the new administration comes in and they tender their resignation. But, either way, they’re finding new jobs.”
Gallagher said the departures often don’t stop at the secretary level.
“General counsels move, the deputy general counsel moves, and then bureau chiefs of big, big divisions at some of the agencies, they can leave, too,” Gallagher told the Phoenix.
While general counsels work for an agency secretary, she said, they are interviewed and chosen by the governor, which is why they don’t carry over from administration to administration.
“At least, that’s how it was in 1999,” said Gallagher, who was general counsel at the Agency for Health Care Administration during most of Gov. Jeb Bush’s first term. She also worked in the legal office as a deputy general counsel in what was then called the Department of Professional Regulation.
The Phoenix reported last week that Jason Weida, DeSantis’ chief of staff, indirectly announced Hatch’s departure from the state last week when he posted, “We wish you well in your career!”
The governor’s office did not respond to the Phoenix’s request for Hatch’s resignation letter or questions about who will run the Department of Children and Families in her absence.
Politico reported Monday that Hatch’s resignation took effect July 3 and obtained a copy of her resignation letter.
In her letter, Hatch wrote that she was proud of the work she’d done as head of DCF as well as the Agency for Persons with Disabilities.
Although she was ultimately confirmed DCF Secretary by the full Senate earlier this year, Ethics and Elections Committee Chairman Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Crestview, acknowledged Hatch’s confirmation had faced obstacles in the chamber.
“Yes, her nomination and her time, and with the agency, were marked with many, many questions, and she was confirmed. But she was — I would say — confirmed with, with many, many questions remaining in the minds of a large number of senators,” Gaetz told the Phoenix last week.
The Senate had refused to confirm both Hatch and AHCA Secretary Shevaun Harris during the 2025 session because of their involvement in the Hope Florida scandal.
The question now is whether the governor will fill Hatch’s position with an interim leader to act as a caretaker until the next administration. Last week, the state Board of Education tapped a senior department official as interim commissioner.
DeSantis could name a permanent choice, but that pick would be subject to Senate confirmation and there’s no guarantee that person would make it until next year. A common occurrence is that an incoming governor rescinds all appointments made by the the previous governor or asks those in top positions to resign from their jobs.
