Florida Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie resigned this week. He reportedly did so in a brief bid to become Florida’s lieutenant governor, joining the gubernatorial campaign of current Lt. Gov. Jay Collins. Guthrie became the head of the Florida Division of Emergency Management in May 2021.
“Serving Florida and working alongside the incredible men and women of the emergency management community has been one of the greatest honors of my life,” Guthrie said in a statement dated to August 19. “I am deeply grateful for the people who stood beside me, challenged me, trusted me and shared in the work of making emergency management stronger, not just for today, but for the generations that will follow us.”
The timing of Guthrie’s departure immediately precedes the peak months of Florida’s hurricane season. The period between early August and mid-October tends to be the busiest, with a significant frequency spike occurring in September.
For the time being, Guthrie’s replacement will be Florida Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue. Gov. Ron DeSantis characterized Guthrie’s move as ‘politics’, but said he accepted the resignation.
“If people want to choose politics, more power to them,” DeSantis said. “I didn’t necessarily think that was something that Kevin aspired to, but given that he’s doing that, I think it’s important that we have emergency management just focused on emergency management. So I have accepted his resignation as the Director of the Division of Emergency Management.”
The decision of Kevin Guthrie to join Jay Collins’ gubernatorial campaign came just one day before the campaign’s end. Collins finished a distant second in the Republican primary, amassing 25.2% of the vote compared to Byron Donalds’ 47.8%. Collins performed well in Florida’s panhandle but was unable to overcome a Donalds campaign endorsed by President Donald Trump.
“There will be more to share about what comes next,” Guthrie continued. “For today, I simply want to say thank you. I am proud of what we accomplished together, grateful for every person who was part of it and excited to continue serving this profession I love.”
