Florida’s top cybersecurity official to step down

Jeremy Rodgers, who spent the past three-and-a-half years serving as Florida’s chief information security officer, will step down for a role in the private sector.

The news of his departure was first reported by Industry Insider.

Rodgers led the state’s IT response to several cyberattacks, including a ransomware attack on the state’s court system in 2023 and a phishing attack that scammed the City of Fort Lauderdale for $1.2 million last September.

Before joining the state government, Rodgers spent two decades in various technical roles at IBM. He also served 14 years in the U.S. Navy, including three-and-a-half years with Cyber Command in Fort Meade, Maryland, where he served as an operations mission lead.

“I look forward to working with the fantastic team State CIO Grant has in place. Together, we will empower our people to solve problems and deliver solutions for all stakeholders,” Rodgers said in a press release when he was hired in January 2022.

Rodgers joined the Florida Digital Service at a time when the agency struggled to hold onto cybersecurity staff and budget. Last year, the Florida legislature considered a budget proposal to move $40 million, part of Florida’s Local Government Cybersecurity Grant, back into the state’s general fund. 

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ budget for the upcoming fiscal year allocates $18.8 million for state-level election oversight activities with a focus on cybersecurity enhancements to Florida’s election system and $67.5 million for state agency “security, training, and resiliency resources.”