Gov. Ron DeSantis has appointed three new members to serve on the St.Augustine Airport Authority after the removal of three panelists amid legal turmoil earlier this year.
Reba Ludlow, Len Tucker and Dennis Clarke all stepped down from their posts to avoid criminal charges stemming from alleged violations of Florida public meeting Sunshine laws.by allegedly discussing airport policy in private.
DeSantis’ picks must now be formally approves by the state Senate.
Gerald Dedge is a retired law enforcement officer and military leader with deep ties to the St. Johns County community. He previously served as a Captain for the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office and held the rank of Command Chief Warrant Officer in the Florida National Guard.
Dedge remains active in local and veteran affairs, serving as Vice President of the Florida National Guard Foundation and as a member of the St. Johns County Veterans Council.
A veteran of both the U.S. Army and the Florida National Guard, Dedge holds an associate degree from Vincennes University.
Mario Dipola currently serves as the State Transportation Leader for North Florida at the engineering and design firm Gresham Smith. His previous roles include working as a Safety Engineer for Florida Department of Transportation’s District 2. Dipola is also civically engaged as a member of the North Florida Transportation Planning Organization’s Citizen’s Advisory Committee.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Central Florida and a master’s in business administration from the University of Florida.
Nick Primrose offers a regulatory and legal background, currently serving as Chief of Regulatory Compliance at the Jacksonville Port Authority.
He previously worked in state government as Deputy General Counsel in the Executive Office of the Governor and as General Counsel for the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
He also served as Chair of the Florida Elections Commission and sits on the board of SelectFlorida. Primrose earned his bachelor’s degree from Lake Forest College, a master’s from DePaul University, and a JD from Barry University.
