Florida Gov. Jeb Bush recently named Denver Stutler, his chief of staff, to lead the Florida Department of Transportation (DOT), effective July 9. Stutler, an engineer, also was chief of staff at the Florida Department of Environmental protection from 1999-2002 and previously worked for private engineering firms.
“I believe every investment in Florida’s transportation system is an investment in the backbone of our economy,” Stutler said in a statement.
“Denver brings experience, energy, talent to this really important position,” Bush told the Associated Press. “He’s a focused administrator and with a deep understanding of the issues related to transportation, but also he’s become a good confidant, someone I trust completely.”
The governor signed a bill into law that aims to curb the negative effects of Florida’s rapid growth, including road congestion. It will require that sufficient roads be in place, or under construction, within three years of a local government’s approval of new development.
“Part of the whole growth-management act is to work – the state in conjunction with local government – at making wise choices on growth and empowering local governments to make those choices and holding them accountable for the choices that they make,” Stutler said.
The Florida DOT, with a $6 billion annual budget, has about 7,500 employees and oversees more than 12,000 miles of state highway, 750 aviation facilities, 14 seaports and more than 12,000 miles of railway.
Stutler fills a vacancy created when former FDOT chief Jose Abreu recently assumed the directorship of the Miami International Airport. Stutler received his undergraduate and graduate degrees in civil engineering from the University of Central Florida.
