{"id":1347,"date":"2026-06-04T16:31:54","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T16:31:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=1347"},"modified":"2026-06-04T16:31:54","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T16:31:54","slug":"florida-education-commissioner-a-miami-native-gets-top-job-at-polk-state-college","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=1347","title":{"rendered":"Florida education commissioner, a Miami native, gets top job at Polk State College"},"content":{"rendered":"<article><!-- --><!-- --><!-- WPS-5038 -- removed the script from WPS and added the placeholder for trinity player --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- CONTENT --><!--[--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Florida\u2019s top education official has a new job.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Polk State College\u2019s board of trustees named Florida Education Commissioner Anastasios \u201cStasi\u201d Kamoutsas its new president Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=1346\">Miami-Dade mayor forces out top deputy, port director over fuel depot mess<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The vote was unanimous, according to a release from Polk State College, a public college based in Winter Haven. In May, Kamoutsas was named as the sole finalist for the job. He will start the role July 6, per the release.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Kamoutsas, 37, has served in the education commissioner role for one year. He has a long history in the commissioner\u2019s office and has been a top lieutenant to Gov. Ron DeSantis.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Prior to taking the education commissioner role, Kamoutsas served as DeSantis\u2019 deputy chief of staff. He joined the governor\u2019s office in 2023 after serving in several different roles, including chief of staff and general counsel for the Department of Education.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Kamoutsas is a Miami native and graduate of  Miami Springs High  and Florida International University. He began his career as an Assistant State Attorney in Miami-Dade County.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>As commissioner, Kamoutsas has supported DeSantis\u2019 conservative agenda.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>He has backed efforts to align the state\u2019s schools with the Heritage Foundation, a Washington-based conservative think tank.  Kamoutsas also pushed for increased oversight into Broward County Public Schools, a frequent target of DeSantis, launching an inquiry into a board member whose ticket for a partisan political event was paid for with public funds.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Kamoutsas has also championed school choice initiatives and crackdowns on diversity, equity and inclusion principles in schools.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The news release announcing Kamoutsas\u2019 hire stated that he met with about 250 students, faculty, staff and members of the community on Wednesday during meet and greets on the Lakeland and Winter Haven campuses of Polk State College.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=1344\">Former state senator Shevrin Jones running to succeed Frederica Wilson<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Kamoutsas was the search committee\u2019s lone recommendation for the position following a national search that saw more than 100 people apply.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are confident in Mr. Kamoutsas\u2019s leadership, experience and vision to move our College forward. We look forward to the difference he will make in the lives of our students, faculty, staff and community members, whom we support through the endeavors of our College,\u201d Polk State College Board Chair Ann Barnhart wrote in the release.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Kamoutsas is following in the footsteps of his previous boss, Manny Diaz Jr., another Miami native. The former commissioner of education and Miami-Dade teacher and lawmaker was named interim president of the University of West Florida last year. Earlier this year, that school\u2019s board approved Diaz\u2019s contract as full-time president at an annual base salary of $674,000.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>He joins a long list of people with ties to DeSantis who have been named to top leadership positions in Florida\u2019s public colleges and universities.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>In a statement, Kamoutsas said he was \u201cgrateful\u201d and focused on the Central Florida college\u2019s contributions to the local economy.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am committed to building on Polk State\u2019s strong foundation and ensuring that we continue to meet the growing workforce demands of Polk County. Polk State is a top economic engine for this community, and we will provide the highest level of academics and services that fulfill our College\u2019s mission and uphold Polk State\u2019s vision of serving as the top choice for higher education and workforce training in the State of Florida,\u201d Kamoutsas wrote.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>In response to an inquiry on whether the governor had a replacement for Kamoutsas in mind, DeSantis\u2019 Deputy Press Secretary Gatlin Nennstiel wrote \u201cstay tuned!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=1342\">Former state senator Shevrin Jones running to succeed Frederica Wilson<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--]--><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Florida Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas, key ally to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, named Polk State College President in unanimous board vote<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":446,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1347","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - 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