New Chief Judge in Division of Administrative Hearings Approved

Seven months after Florida's Republican governor asked the state's chief administrative judge to step aside, the office now has a new leader. The Florida Cabinet on Tuesday approved John MacIver, a deputy general counsel to Gov. Ron DeSantis, as chief judge of the Division of Administrative Hearings. Nikki Fried, Florida's agriculture commissioner, said neither MacIver nor a second nominee, Kristin Bigham, were qualified. “My staff and I met with these candidates several times, and considered their backgrounds — and neither of these candidates rose to the level o...