After quiet exit, Florida’s public safety czar moves to DeSantis presidential campaign

Larry Keefe, the public safety czar under Gov. Ron DeSantis, quietly resigned his post in September, ending a two-year tenure that included the coordination of Florida’s controversial migrant flight program.

His resignation was submitted on Sept. 11 and it took effect immediately, the governor’s office confirmed on Friday.

“It has been a high honor and great privilege to serve the people of Florida. Please know how grateful I am for the opportunity to serve,” Keefe wrote in an emailed resignation provided to the Times/Herald.

Keefe, a former U.S. attorney under the Trump administration, is now helping DeSantis’ presidential campaign. A spokesperson with DeSantis’ campaign did not immediately respond to questions about Keefe’s role, but told the New York Times that he was volunteering.

His transition to the political side came a few weeks after DeSantis picked James Uthmeier — the governor’s former chief of staff, and a deeply trusted but inexperienced adviser — to lead a reboot of his political operation.

Uthmeier also played a key role, alongside with Keefe, in planning and executing the state’s migrant flight program that has led to at least one criminal investigation, several lawsuits and a U.S. Treasury Department probe.

Most notably, Keefe was found to have used a private email address with the alias “Clarice Starling” — a reference to the Hannibal Lecter serial killer novels — to help his former client, Vertol Systems Company, win a state contract to operate the immigration program.

With Keefe gone, the migrant program is coordinated by the Florida Division of Emergency Management, acting Chief of Staff Alex Kelly and DeSantis’ Director of Policy & Budget, Chris Spencer.

The governor’s office public safety czar position is currently vacant.