Florida's head cheif of jobs and economic development

[CubanExpress]

Busted for collecting 91 weeks of unemployment, while vacationing in Europe.

TALLAHASSEE -- For the second time in the 14-month existence of Gov. Rick Scott's Department of Economic Opportunity, the governor is facing a vacancy in the agency's top post.

DEO Secretary Hunting F. Deutsch tendered his resignation Tuesday -- effective Dec. 14 after a string of stories about the fact that he drew more than $25,000 in unemployment benefits for nearly two years after he was laid off by a bank and while he was vacationing in Europe.

DEO was created in Oct. 2011, but its first executive director, Doug Darling, resigned a few months later. The agency has had to deal with publicity surrounding the billions of dollars in tax incentives doled out over the last two decades -- many of which went to companies that didn't produced all the promised jobs.

The Florida Current, a news service site used by Tallahassee lobbyists and others, first reported last month about Deutsch's jobless benefits after he was laid off in a corporate merger, and before Scott's office hired him to lead the jobs agency.

"I find the current media focus on my personal matters a distraction to the agency and your administration and believe it best for me to leave," Deutsch wrote in a letter to Scott. "I trust this will be sufficient transition time to develop a succession plan."

Deutsch's agency administers the state's unemployment benefits, which were cut by the Legislature last year.

He collected jobless benefits for nearly 21 months despite having received a severance package from his former employer, Bank United. Deutsch told the Florida Current he traveled to Europe "several times" with his wife and "didn't have to work" because of the money he had made selling his bank stock.

Senate President Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, said Deutsch "made the right decision in resigning and he made the wrong decision -- I think it was bad form -- to seek compensation while he was off to Europe."

Gaetz added he was confident the governor would find a suitable replacement and praised him for being "laser focused on job-creation."

Scott was in Bogota, Colombia on a trade mission, and released a statement saying, "Hunt did the right thing by resigning from DEO. It is important that nothing interfere with our mission to create more jobs and opportunities for Florida families."

His office had said he was unaware of Deutsch receiving unemployment benefits when he was hired to the $140,000-a-year post.

Deutsch received the maximum benefit of $275-a-week and said he complied with "all eligibility thresholds required by law," looking for a job and certifying his searches. He didn't offer details about how he did this while in Europe.

[CubanExpress]

Department of Economic Opportunity
Hunting F. Deutsch, Executive Director

VISION
Florida will have the nation's top performing economy and be recognized as the world's leading business destination.

MISSION
The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity promotes economic opportunities for all Floridians; formulating and implementing successful workforce, community, and economic development policies and strategies.

Guiding Principles

Be in a state of readiness to support economic development projects, capital investment and infrastructure opportunities that advance Florida in achieving its vision. Be effectively and efficiently responsive to the global business climate. Make data-driven decisions and set credible benchmarks. Deliver successful, strategic, and clearly articulated performance.

Goals

- Increase Florida's global competitiveness as a destination for business, capital, talent, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
- Promote Florida as the world destination of choice for business and industry.
- Facilitate business development through delivery of world class customer service.

[krash]

The wealthy continue to get wealthy, the rest of us continue to struggle, that's politics.

I know a very wealthy person who was tired of his job, convinced his company to lay him off just so he could get a big separation package and then collect un-employment benifits. There is no way he needed the $, the measly $$ collected would not even make the lease payment on his Ferrari, but he figured he deserved it.

[swordfish]

I have a "rich uncle", more like stinking wealthy beyond the next 10 generations... Either way, I was sitting here thinking the other day... I am sweating 5 or 10 bucks for gas, when he just went out and bought 3 of his kids a diesel x5 for christmas... He does this every two years... Paid cash, and not leases. I dont like him cuz hes a pompous British prick... My point is, it sucks how we struggle to get to the next meal, while the wealthy get wealthier.

Oh the kicker is, he just laid off 300 people to make his company's stock go up and make him a few millions more... It feels no matter how hard you work, and for how long, you are in a hamster wheel and it takes great luck to break out of it, not hard work, that my friends is not how the American dream I was sold on was explained and described.

Here is the thing, I have no interest in taking from the rich to give to the poor, more like just give people better access to schooling without making a damn degree cost more than what you will be earning from said piece of paper in the 10 years after you finished school...

I'd give anything to have a trade at my age, something I can be a professional at, however every one of my attempts to get started in school has been met with disappointment one way or another due to my financial situation and dare I say background.

They better bring up charges against him, that is fraud! Otherwise they cannot expect to be going after people who do the same right now, that would make them look beyond bad, if not down right stupid.
Just my .02 cents

-swordfish