Matt Carter, the former chairman of the Public Service Commission, is now the staff director for the Senate Communications, Energy and Public Utilities Committee.

Carter’s taken the place of Diana Caldwell, who was let go last month by Senate President-elect Mike Haridopolos. Haridopolos, R-Melbourne, and his newly appointed chief of staff and general counsel Steve MacNamara are making a clean sweep of high-paid staff whom Haridopolos accused of behaving like “the 41st senator” and having too much influence over public policy.

Carter chaired the regulatory panel during a bleak period marked by investigations into secret BlackBerry messages swapped between utility lobbyists and PSC staff and revelations that the PSC’s own lobbyist partied at the home of a Florida Power & Light executive during a Kentucky Derby fete. Carter, who was not involved in the BlackBerry message investigations, put an end to the use of the electronic devices.

Carter’s term ran out in December and he was not reappointed by Gov. Charlie Crist.

Tags: Florida Senate, Matthew Carter, Mike Haridopolos, PSC, Public Service Commission

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 1st, 2010 at 11:23 am and is filed under Charlie Crist, legislature, Mike Haridopolos, Public Service Commission, State Senate. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.