Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ executive committee task force on “reopening” Florida includes 20 men and two women.
That’s it, two women — Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez and Attorney General Ashley Moody — in the list of politicians and business leaders trying to jumpstart Florida’s economy following the coronavirus outbreak.
DeSantis had already excluded Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, a female, from the group, which created a partisan issue as the state continues to battle the COVID-19 pandemic. Fried is a Democrat.
But given that women outnumber men in Florida — the U.S. Census bureau data show that women make up 51.1 percent of the state’s population — it’s not clear why DeSantis couldn’t have included more women in the mix.
Among politicians, the Florida Phoenix wrote earlier this year that only 30 percent of women serve in each of the legislative chambers –the state Senate and the House of Representatives, according to an analysis.
And when it comes to chairing a committee – a pivotal role – very few women are chosen in these leadership positions, the Phoenix found. When they are, it’s not unusual for them to be chairs in traditional fields, such as education, children and families and health care, the data show.
Here’s the list of 20 men and two women on the committee provided by the Governor’s press office:
Jeanette Nuñez, Lieutenant Governor of Florida
Jimmy Patronis, Florida Chief Financial Officer
Ashley Moody, Florida Attorney General
President Bill Galvano, President, Florida Senate
Speaker Jose Oliva, Speaker, Florida House of Representatives
Senator Wilton Simpson, President-Designate, Florida Senate
Representative Chris Sprowls, Speaker-Designate, Florida House of Representatives
Commissioner Richard Corcoran, Commissioner of Education
Jamal Sowell, President & CEO, Enterprise Florida, Inc.
Mayor Carlos Gimenez, Mayor, Miami-Dade County
Mayor Dale Holness, Mayor, Broward County
Mayor David Kerner, Mayor, Palm Beach County
John Couris, President & CEO, Tampa General Hospital
Josh D’Amaro, President, Walt Disney World Resort
Todd Jones, CEO, Publix Super Markets
Syd Kitson, Chairman, Board of Governors for the State University System
Paul Reilly, Chairman & CEO, Raymond James Financial
Alex Sanchez, President & CEO, Florida Bankers Association
Eric Silagy, President & CEO, Florida Power & Light Company
John Sprouls, CEO, Universal Orlando Resort, Executive Vice President, Universal Parks & Resorts
Patrick Sunderlin, Vice President, Global Supply Chain, Lockheed Martin Corporation
Joe York, President, AT&T Florida and Caribbean
