Former Fort Lauderdale Police Officer Chuck Drago has been chosen to be Gov. Charlie Crist’s deputy chief of staff, the administration announced Wednesday.
Drago, 57, started in the Fort Lauderdale Police Department as a detective in 1975 and rose to assistant chief of police in 2001. After that, he served as chief of police for the city of Oveido for three years.
Since February 2008, he has run the Department of Business and Professional Regulation.
As deputy chief of staff, Drago’s portfolio will include the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, highway safety issues, the Parole Commission, the Florida Lottery, and the Department of Management Services.
Stephanie Smith will become executive deputy chief of staff. Smith, 29, previously handled Crist’s external affairs and worked on his 2006 campaign for governor.
