Who is Anastasios Kamoutsas? DeSantis makes pick for Florida Commissioner of Education
Gov. Ron DeSantis didn't look far for his pick to be the new Florida commissioner of education.
On June 3, he recommended one of his top aides , deputy chief of staff Anastasios Kamoutsas, for the job to replace former commissioner Manny Diaz Jr., who was elected a week prior to be interim president of the University of West Florida.
'Stasi Kamoutsas has delivered on important issues like parental rights, school choice, and fighting back against radical ideologies in education,' DeSantis said in a release. 'I am confident that he will continue to serve our state well as the next Commissioner of Education, and I thank Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. for his dedicated and productive service.'
Diaz, the latest in a line of DeSantis allies put in charge of higher education institutions in Florida, was delighted with the choice. "Great pick Governor!" he posted on X. "Stasi will be a huge advocate for students and families in Florida."
The State Board of Education is meeting Wednesday, June 4, at 10:30 a.m. to consider appointing a commissioner.
Anastasios I. Kamoutsas, 36, has a fairly low-profile presence, but he has been involved in many of DeSantis' key initiatives and was described by Florida Politics as "one of the most feared staffers."
Kamoutsas, who holds a bachelor of arts in political science from Florida International University and his juris doctor from Regent University School of Law, a private Christian university. He joined the Florida Department of Education in 2019 to be general counsel and then chief of staff during the state's battle against mandated COVID masks in schools before he was tapped to be one of DeSantis' deputy chiefs of staff.
'Under my tenure, the Florida Department of Education will remain committed to student safety and success, empowering parents, and supporting teachers,' Kamoutsas said in DeSantis' press release. 'I look forward to working with the State Board of Education to ensure that Florida remains the education state.'
While most of his work has been behind the scenes, Kamoutsas has popped up in the news.
NBC News reported in March that Kamoutsas was one of DeSantis' aides who had made calls to state lobbyists, asking them not to donate to Florida 2026 gubernatorial candidate Rep. Byron Donalds. First lady Casey DeSantis has not announced her own run, but has been rumored to be considering it for months. Kamoutsas denied NBC's allegations.
He was also named in 2023 as the person who called then-FDLE Chief of Staff Shane Desguin to deny the promotion and raise for an attorney who disagreed with DeSantis' aides about what parts of the governor's travel records were public information because she "was not on our team," according to former FDLE deputy chief of staff Patricia Carpenter.
When Desguin asked if he could give Robinson another position and salary increase, he 'was told 'no, she is lucky she even has a f—ing job,'' Carpenter said, according to The News Service of Florida. Carpenter was fired after she sought whistleblower protection.
Last October, Kamoutsas raised a stink in his homeowner's association in Tallahassee for posting signs against a proposed abortion amendment on his lawn and reportedly gaming HOA rules by removing them before a meeting, avoiding hundreds of dollars in fines, and then replacing and increasing them the next day.
Kamoutsas' wife is a lawyer for the State University System.
Diaz was selected to replace UWF president Martha Saunders, who chose to step down after a contentious board of trustees meeting where newly appointed member Zach Smith grilled her about "diversity, equity and inclusion" issues he had identified when combing through UWF's social media. Smith had been appointed by DeSantis days earlier.
Diaz joins a growing rank of DeSantis allies to head universities and colleges in Florida as the governor continues to leave his mark on education in the Sunshine State.
On June 2, Jeanette Nuñez, formerly DeSantis' lieutenant governor, was named president of Florida International University. The appointment remains subject to approval by the state university system's Board of Governors.
Marva Johnson, who served as a political appointee in the administrations of Governors Rick Scott and Ron DeSantis, was picked in May to be president of Florida A&M University despite massive and sustained objections from the FAMU community of students, teachers and alumni.
Richard Corcoran was the state commissioner of education and one of Desantis' most dependable and effective supporters when he was named president of New College of Florida as part of the governor's efforts to overhaul the liberal arts college into a conservative institution.
Contributing: Mary Lett, Pensacola News Journal
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: DeSantis picks Florida education commissioner. What to know
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