Governor DeSantis appoints five new members of Florida Gaming Control Commission

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced the appointment of Julie Brown as chair of the board overseeing gambling issues in the state, while Peter Cuderman and William Spicola were named general members of the panel. DeSantis renewed the appointments of John Michael D’Aquila and Tina Repp as board members, according to a press release.

Brown is moving up within the gaming board, as she currently serves as vice chair of the panel. She has extensive experience in Florida’s public service, having served as Secretary of the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. She was also a commissioner on the Florida Public Service Commission.

Cuderman also has public sector experience, having served as Director of Intergovernmental Legislative Affairs in the Florida Governor’s Office. He is a founding partner of Fidelis Fund, a Florida-based private equity firm focused on mainstream businesses. Cuderman also served as a commissioned officer in the United States Marine Corps.

Spicola is an attorney at the Tallahassee-based firm Komisar Spicola. He is also a member of the Second Judicial Nominating Procedures Committee and the Judicial Nominating Procedures Committee of The Florida Bar.

D’Aquila, owner and accountant of D’Aquila Advisors, based in Jacksonville Beach, returns to the board. He is also a member of the American and New York Institutes of Certified Public Accountants, and previously served on the Finance Committee of the Sawgrass Country Club and the Northeast Florida Society of Financial Professionals.

Repp’s return to the board comes in her capacity as a healthcare fraud investigator for Qlarant.

She has also been a Special Agent with the FBI and worked as an investigator of financial crimes, government fraud, elder fraud, and transnational organized crime.

The FGCC is composed of five members and is responsible for setting executive and regulatory standards for gambling in Florida. It is an area that has gained greater relevance in recent years.

The FGCC reviewed its 2025 operations and seized approximately $14.47 million in funds from illegal gambling, along with another 6,725 illegal slot machines from unlawful gaming operations, according to a press release issued by the agency. These figures are significantly higher than those from 2024.

The previous year, state gaming regulators seized 1,287 illegal slot machines and approximately $7.11 million in cash associated with those unlawful gambling operations.

DeSantis’s appointments and reappointments still require final approval from the Florida Senate.