Florida Lottery Chief Steps Down Under Cloud
TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/NSF) - Florida Lottery Secretary Cynthia O'Connell is stepping down with the announcement coming days after reports surfaced that she spent more than $30,000 on travel last year.
On Friday, Governor Rick Scott tapped Florida Lottery sales veteran Tom Delacenserie to take over as interim secretary of the agency. Politico reported earlier this week that taxpayers last year spent more than $30,000 on travel for O'Connell, whose annual salary is $141,000, on trips to places including Las Vegas, Boston and New York.
O'Connell also used nine weeks of vacation during the year, according to the Politico report.
"Cynthia has been part of my team since my first year in office and she has done a tremendous job serving Florida families," Scott said in a news release announcing her resignation and Delacenserie's appointment.
Scott also boasted that that Lottery provided more than $1 billion to Florida schools last year under O'Connell's tenure.
"I truly appreciate her dedication to making Florida the best state in the nation for families and our students, and I hope she will continue using her skills to serve our state even as she moves on to other career opportunities," Scott said.
A Palm Beach Post investigation last year also raised questions about Lottery-ticket sales fraud. The newspaper reports revealed that some frequent Lottery winners were convenience store owners or clerks.
O'Connell's departure is scheduled for October 1st.
Delacenserie has worked for the Florida Lottery for 15 years. Since 2013, he's served as deputy secretary of sales and marketing for the agency, and, prior to that, he spent eight years as the Lottery's director of sales.
The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.