Almost eleven months after the job became available, Florida has finally filled the vacancy in the lieutenant governor’s office. Carlos Lopez-Cantera has officially taken office as the state’s second-in-command, after being sworn in Monday morning at the capitol.
The private ceremony was attended by Lopez-Cantera’s family and Governor Rick Scott, then followed by a luncheon at the Governor’s Mansion. The new lieutenant governor says he's excited to be part of Scott’s team, especially heading into an election year."Unemployment is down from 11.1% to 6.2%. 462 thousand jobs created since the governor started as governor, and that’s as of today. And, more than three billion dollars of debt paid down. The results matter."
Scott said Lopez-Cantera’s career in the Florida House of Representatives and the private sector make him a good fit for the job. The first thing Scott wants Lopez-Cantera to do is make sure the governor’s $500 million tax break package passes during the 2014 legislative session.
Lopez-Cantera is Florida’s nineteenth lieutenant governor. He follows Jennifer Carroll, who resigned last March. Most recently, Lopez-Cantera was the Miami-Dade County property appraiser, after serving eight years in the state legislature.