Former state legislator - Carole Green - is Florida’s new Secretary of the Department of Elder Affairs. Green spent much of her 6 years in the Florida House of Representatives concentrating on health and elderly care, as well as working with the state’s Medicaid system. She chaired the House Elder and Long-term Care Committee…and the House Medicaid Committee. Her confirmation faced very little opposition. Secretary Green says Florida’s 60 and over population is expected to grow by more than 20-percent in the next 5 years…

“And I think that that brings to the forefront a lot of the pressures that we have on the department, and on our partners that are actually out in the field…if you will…managing the different areas to be able to make sure that we can reach as many of those seniors that do have needs as we can.”

Secretary Green says that many seniors give back to their communities… and that she sees their population as a resource. The Department of Elder Affairs employs 360 people, and has a budget of nearly $400 million…making it one of the smallest state agencies. Green left the Florida House for an unsuccessful bid to replace former U.S. Representative Porter Goss. She’s already been working as Secretary for the past 6 weeks.