CFO Sink on the Honor to Serve in eViews
Dear Floridian:
This is my last email message as your CFO. Four years ago you elected me to an office which was very new and virtually unknown to most citizens. It has been my distinct privilege to serve you for these last four years.
In addition to overseeing Department of Financial Services (DFS), as CFO, I served as one of four statewide elected officials on the Florida Cabinet which is jointly responsible for more than a dozen state agencies. I was honored to serve with Governor Charlie Crist, Attorney General Bill McCollum and Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson, where we worked collaboratively on many major state issues, from preservation of lands for environmental protection to the recent BP oil spill crisis, putting politics aside to achieve the best result for the people of our state.
Throughout my term in office we have used this electronic newsletter, eViews, to share with you the excellent work of DFS and the office of your CFO.
This month we have summarized the many accomplishments (eViews-Dec. 3, eViews-Dec. 10 and eViews-Dec. 17) of our Department in our mission to better serve all Floridians – accomplishments achieved by the hard working people of DFS through legislation, enforcement of laws to protect consumers and by working collaboratively with other state agencies, nonprofit organizations and the private sector.
Today, I want to thank the people of DFS for their dedicated service and hard work. Throughout my administration, I have expressed the importance of the commitment of everyone on the DFS team — from those who answer our phones, to those who deliver and open the mail and including me, as your CFO — who woke up each and every day with fresh enthusiasm for serving the citizens of our state. I am so proud to know that they met that challenge daily.
Your letters and calls of appreciation have meant so much to us — whether it was your thanks for savings on insurance premiums through our My Safe Florida Home Program, a program that produced the added benefit of hardening houses for some of our elderly citizens helping them feel more secure in their homes, or the letters of relief and gratitude for recovering a lifetime of investments for Florida’s seniors after they had been mislead into purchasing annuity investment products that were wrong for their age and financial circumstances. We also heard from Floridians when we successfully advocated on their behalf and got the payment they were due from an insurance claim, or helped them find the surprise of unclaimed property or cash that the state was holding for them and they didn’t know about it!
While so many colleagues deserve recognition, my special gratitude goes to our Chiefs of Staff, initially Jim Cassady and now Tammy Teston, both of whom left successful private sector careers to join me in the Department of Financial Services. They brought a fresh perspective, sound business management principles and leadership to so many talented people who were willing to embrace change.
Since November 2, we have been working closely with CFO-elect Jeff Atwater and his team to assure a smooth transition on January 4, 2011. I have known Jeff for many years and I am hopeful that with his background in the private sector and commitment to public service he will build on the strong foundation this administration has established. I have urged him to continue to improve transparency and accountability in your state government, to find ever more efficient ways to use your tax dollars in these challenging economic times and to protect our citizens.
Finally, I want to thank my husband Bill McBride, our children, and the thousands of friends all over the state of Florida who have provided me so much support, encouragement and their prayers over the past four years. I leave the Office of Florida’s CFO with pride for the amazing work that our team accomplished, and with utmost humility for the honor you gave me to serve you, the beloved people of the great state of Florida.
Sincerely
Alex Sink
CFO
State of Florida
P.S. In the new year, you can reach me at my new email address: alexsinkflorida@gmail.com. Also, please don’t forget to check www.fltreasurehunt.org on a regular basis to see if the state is holding property or cash for you!
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