Tallahassee, Fla. /Florida Newswire/ — On Tuesday (Feb. 15), Governor Scott named Charles Trippe as General Counsel to the Executive Office of the Governor. Trippe will serve as the Governor’s chief counsel and will oversee the complex legal issues that the Counsel’s office handles. The Governor also named Francis Gibbs as Chief of Staff and Jerry Curington as General Counsel of the Florida Department of Transportation. Gibbs and Curington both bring an impressive track record of leadership and policy experience to the department.
Trippe was most recently a partner at the Jacksonville law firm of Moseley, Pritchard, Parrish, Knight & Jones, where he practiced in the area of complex civil litigation. He has had extensive experience in the preparation and trial of complex litigation in many jurisdictions, as well as alternative dispute resolution including mediation and arbitration. Prior to joining the firm, Trippe served as General Counsel-Litigation for CSX, Transportation Inc. He is admitted to practice in Florida, New York, and Massachusetts, as well as many federal courts. He is a graduate of Columbia College and Columbia Law School.
Gibbs advised both Congressman Ander Crenshaw and Congressman Connie Mack on transportation policy matters while serving on their staffs from 2001 through 2010, and was most recently Congressman Mack’s Chief of Staff and Chief Policy Advisor. During his tenure working in the United States House of Representatives, Gibbs participated in the drafting, consideration and passage of transportation reauthorization legislation, commonly referred to as SAFETEA-LU. He also worked on FAA reauthorization legislation and Water Resources Development Act reauthorization. He is a graduate of the University of Florida and the University of Florida Law School.
Currently the General Counsel to the Department of Children and Families, Curington brings decades of experience in the Florida government and legal system to DOT. He has served as a Deputy General Counsel in the Executive Office of the Governor and in private practice with several Florida firms. He previously was the Assistant Deputy Attorney General, where he oversaw the work of more than two hundred lawyers and has served as Deputy General Counsel of the Florida House of Representatives. With more than 34 years of trial and appellate experience, Curington’s experience includes lead counsel responsibilities in hundreds of trial cases. He is a graduate of the University of Florida and the University of Florida Law School.
“I am glad these three qualified individuals are joining my administration,” said Governor Scott. “They will play an integral role in our mission of creating jobs, encouraging economic development, and improving government efficiency.”