Republican state Sen. Manny Diaz was unanimously approved by the Florida State Board of Education to be the new commissioner of education. He is also the first Hispanic commissioner of education in Florida’s history. He will replace outgoing commissioner Richard Corcoran on June 1.
Diaz has said that he will be involved in the upcoming special session of the Legislature where lawmakers will address Florida’s failing property insurance market before he takes the reins at the Department of Education.
Before Diaz entered politics in 2012 when he was elected to the state House of Representatives, he had a long track record working as a public school teacher, coach, assistant principal, and school administrator. As a state senator since 2018, Diaz has advocated for students, parents, and educators, said Richard Corcoran, the outgoing commissioner, in a press release on April 29. Most recently, Diaz was instrumental in getting the Stop W.O.K.E. Act passed, and he supported the Parental Rights in Education Bill.
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