BY STAFF REPORTS
As the Trump Administration establishes the team of leaders and staffers it intends to rely on for policy wins and operational moves, it continues to rely on people with ties to Florida.
Among the most high-profile names are Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Attorney General Pam Bondi, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and Deputy Chief of Staff James Blair, among others.
But beyond those who may regularly appear on newscasts and in headlines, the Administration is pulling from Florida in other areas. This is especially true in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. EPA is led by Administrator Lee Zeldin, a former Congressman from New York, who ran for Governor in 2022.
Zeldin’s team has identified two Florida officials for key roles at the agency.
Teresa Booeshaghi, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection Deputy Director of the Division of Waste Management, announced in early April that she was moving to Washington D.C. to take a role with the EPA.
Booeshaghi, in an email to staff, said she will serve as Deputy Assistant Administrator of Policy for the Office of Land and Emergency Management, starting May 12.
“Looking back on the years I have spent here, I am filled with immense gratitude for the opportunities I’ve had to learn, grow, and collaborate with such an incredible group of colleagues,” she wrote. “I am proud of what we have accomplished as a team, and I am confident that the organization will continue to thrive in the years to come.”
Booeshaghi has been with the Department for 24 years. According to her LinkedIn profile, she started in 2001 as an Environmental Specialist I, an entry level position, managing contracts and programs. She helped establish the Brownfield State Response Program.
She follows another former DEP official who moved to EPA under the Trump Administration. Jessica Kramer, former DEP Deputy Secretary of Regulatory Programs left Florida earlier this year to become EPA Assistant Administrator for Water.
Prior to serving at DEP, Kramer worked in an environmental law practice in Washington, D.C., and on staff for Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), then-ranking member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and now Chairman.
In a March letter, the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies wrote to seek support for Kramer’s Senate confirmation. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will hear Kramer’s confirmation.
“Ms. Kramer has a clear track record of working collaboratively with stakeholders in the water community to achieve results that advance the Office of Water’s mission of ensuring safe and clean drinking water that protects public health and promotes economic activity,” the letter, signed by Association CEO Tom Dobbins, states. “Again, AMWA strongly supports the nomination of Jessica Kramer to serve as EPA’s Assistant Administrator of the Office of Water. Her experience, policy knowledge, and relationships in the water sector will be an asset to the entire agency. We urge the Committee to favorably report her nomination, and we support her confirmation by the full Senate.”
