Florida GOP Chairman Evan Power Congratulates Jason Weida as DeSantis's Next Chief of Staff

MIAMI - Florida GOP Chairman Evan Power congratulated state Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) Secretary Jason Weida Tuesday on his selection as Gov. Ron DeSantis' next chief of staff.

"Congrats to @JasonWeidaFL on becoming the new Chief of Staff to our Governor @RonDeSantis," Power said. 

Jason Weida, who oversees the state's Medicaid program, has been AHCA secretary since 2023 after being the agency's chief of staff the year prior. Specifically, the agency manages the state's massive $35 billion Medicaid program.

The AHCA also is responsible for licensing the state's healthcare facilities and sharing healthcare data for public policy and information.

Before becoming AHCA secretary, Weida was a lawyer in the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), which included working as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Boston, Massachusetts.

He also worked as a counsel in the DOJ's Office of Legal Policy in Washington, D.C.

Specifically, Weida worked alongside the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) at the DOJ and oversaw numerous investigations, including drug diversion investigations of doctor’s offices, pharmacies, and hospitals.

In addition, Weida defended the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in numerous healthcare litigation matters. Over that time, Weida fought against regulatory challenges, Medicare appeals, and medical malpractice claims against "federally funded community health centers and officers in the Commissioned Corp of the U.S. Public Health Service."

He was also briefly mentioned for a high-ranking federal appointment job in President Donald Trump's first administration.

Earlier in his career, Weida practiced law at Jones Day and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. He earned a bachelor's degree from Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania and a Juris Doctor from the University of Connecticut School of Law.

Weida replaces James Uthmeier, who is set to become Florida’s Attorney General. The position opened up after DeSantis appointed Ashley Moody to the U.S. Senate after former Sen. Marco Rubio became Secretary of State.