TALLAHSSEE, Fla. – It wasn't the first or second state job he applied for, but Jeffrey Bragg was appointed Wednesday to lead the agency that oversees services for older Floridians.
Gov. Rick Scott announced that Bragg will serve as secretary of the Florida Department of Elder Affairs beginning Friday. Sam Verghese, who has led the agency since December 2014, will "pursue opportunities in the private sector," Scott's office said.
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In a statement announcing the appointment, Scott said Bragg's experience, largely in insurance issues, would prepare him for the job at the department.
"He has over 40 years of experience in the public and private sectors, and is a proven leader who is uniquely qualified for this position," Scott said. "His experience as well as his management skills will bring new ideas to the department. I am confident he will be a great advocate for the elderly in our state."
Bragg, a 67-year-old Palm Harbor resident, was executive director of the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Terrorism Risk Insurance Program from 2003 to 2014. Before that, Bragg was senior vice president at Zurich Risk Management in New Jersey.
In 1981, Bragg was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, where he oversaw the National Flood Insurance Program and worked with Congress to terminate the federal riot reinsurance program.
Bragg has spent much of 2016 in the running for one state post or another. He was Scott's favored choice for insurance commissioner during a test of wills between the governor and state Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater. Scott and Atwater eventually agreed to promote then-Deputy Commissioner David Altmaier to the post, which became open because of the departure of former Commissioner Kevin McCarty.
When Lisa Edgar, a longtime member of the Florida Public Service Commission, decided against seeking another term on the utility-regulatory board, Bragg applied to take her place. But his name was not on a list of three finalists that a nominating council forwarded to Scott in August. Scott last week appointed Pinellas County engineer Donald Polmann to fill the vacancy.
Bragg's appointment to the top post in the Department of Elder Affairs is subject to confirmation by the Senate.
The announcement of Bragg's appointment --- and Verghese's exit --- came just hours after Scott's office said Agency for Health Care Administration Liz Dudek will retire effective Oct. 3. Scott named Deputy Secretary Justin Senior as interim head of the Agency for Health Care Administration.