OFFICIAL RELEASE · ORIGINAL ISSUER HEADLINE
Governor Ron DeSantis Appoints Six to the Florida Historic Commission
The issuing organization did not supply a publication date.
Added to The State & Nation: October 30, 2026
What this means
A summary is not yet available. Publication is pending editorial review. Read the full original publication below.
Official release
Source material from Florida Governor’s Office. The wording below is the issuer’s statement.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced the appointment of Kelly Chase, David Drysdale, Rick Gonzalez, and Rodney Lewis and the reappointment of John Browning Jr. and David Hoyt to the Florida Historic Commission.
John Browning Jr.
Browning is the Senior Vice President of Political Affairs for the Goodman Company and the President of Browning Consulting. He is a veteran of the United States Army National Guard and was appointed to the National Council of Surface Transportation Research by former President George H.W. Bush. Browning earned his associate degree from St. Johns River State College and his bachelor’s degree in business management from Florida State University.
Kelly Chase
Chase is the Chief of the Bureau of Archaeological Research and previously served as Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer. Chase earned a bachelor’s degree from Middle Tennessee State University and master’s from Florida State University.
David Drysdale
Drysdale is the owner of St. Augustine Alligator Farm. He is a local historian and member of Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Study Group. Previously, he served on the Lightner Museum Board of Trustees. Drysdale is member of the Flagler College Board of Trustees.
Rick Gonzalez
Gonzalez is the president of REG Architects, Inc. and is a licensed professional architect. Previously, Gonzalez served as president of the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation and was a member of the City of West Palm Beach Planning Board. He is a member of the University of Florida's School of Architecture Board of Advisors. Gonzalez earned his bachelor's degree in architecture from the Catholic University of America
David Hoyt
Hoyt is the Executive Director of Development for the Heartland Institute. He was previously a Senior Consultant for AC Fitzgerald & Associates and the Founder and President of Liberty Development Group. Hoyt earned his bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Tulane University.
Rodney Lewis
Lewi is Principle and Co-Founder of Architects Lewis + Whitlock (ALW). He is a licensed Professional Architect. Lewis is active with Big Bend Habitat for Humanity, the Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce, and Seminole Boosters. Lewis graduated from Florida A&M University Architecture School.
Release text attributed to Florida Governor’s Office. Consult the official publication for any subsequent corrections or updates.
Read the original release
This announcement was published by Florida Governor’s Office. The direct link below opens the official publication.
Read the full official publicationhttps://www.flgov.com/eog/news/press/2026/governor-ron-desantis-appoints-six-florida-historic-commission
Official statements reflect their issuer’s perspective. The State & Nation is an independent aggregator and is not affiliated with the issuing organization.
Browse the release archiveMore coverage from Florida Governor’s Office · Report an error · Editorial standards
