Gov. DeSantis appoints, reappoints 5 to Florida Gaming Control Commission

Five seats on the Florida Gaming Control Commission (FGCC) have been tentatively settled after Gov. Ron DeSantis made appointments and reappointments this week.

DeSantis introduced Julie Brown has been appointed as Chair of that board that oversees playing points within the state whereas Peter Cuderman and William Spicola have been appointed as normal members of the panel. DeSantis reappointed John Michael D’Aquila and Tina Repp as returning board members, a  news release mentioned.

Brown is being elevated on the gaming board as she at the moment serves as Vice Chair of the panel. Brown is well-versed in Florida authorities service and was the previous Secretary of the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. She’s additionally a former Commissioner on the Florida Public Service Commission.

Cuderman can also be skilled in authorities work as he’s the earlier Director of Legislative Intergovernmental Affairs for the Florida Governor’s workplace. He’s additionally the Founding Partner of Fidelis Fund, a Florida-Based non-public fairness firm concerned with Main Street companies. Cuderman was additionally a commissioned officer within the United States Marine Corps.

Spicola is a lawyer on the legislation agency Komisar Spicola, primarily based in Tallahassee. He’s additionally a member of the Second Judicial Nominating Procedures Committee and a member of the Florida Bar Judicial Nominating Procedures Committee.

Returning to the board is D’Aquila, who’s the proprietor and accountant at D’Aquila Advisors primarily based in Jacksonville Beach. He’s additionally a member of the American and New York Institutes of Certified Public accountants and was a earlier member of the Sawgrass Country Club Finance Committee and the Northeast Florida Society of Financial Professionals.

Repp’s return to the board comes as she is a well being care fraud investigator for Qlarant.

She’s additionally been a Special Agent for the FBI as she was an investigator of economic crime, authorities fraud, elder fraud and transnational organized crime.

The FGCC consists of 5 members and is tasked with establishing government and regulatory requirements for playing in Florida. It’s an space that has been elevated in profile previously couple of years.

The FGCC recapped its 2025 operations and confiscated some $14.47 million in unlawful playing funds and one other 6,725 unlawful slot machines from unlawful playing operations, in response to a news release issued by the company. Those figures are considerably greater than in 2024.

In that earlier yr, state playing regulators confiscated 1,287 unlawful slot machines and a few $7.11 million in money related to these illegal playing operations that have been seized.

The appointments and reapppointments by DeSantis nonetheless want closing approval by the Florida Senate.