Ken Tucker

Gov. Rick Scott’s corrections secretary, Edwin Buss, resigned with little warning in August after less than six months in the position and on the eve of the privatization of 29 of the state’s prisons. Buss’ resignation follows tensions between Scott’s office and Buss over contracts that Buss signed and Scott’s staff canceled, one allowing the filming of MSNBC’s Lockup at a Florida prison and another concerning a program to privatize prison healthcare services statewide.

Scott named Ken Tucker, a deputy commissioner of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, as the new corrections chief. Tucker, who has spent 34 years in law enforcement, was most recently responsible for overseeing agency management and policy direction for law enforcement operations in the state. He joined FDLE in 1983 and also served at the Daytona Beach Police Department. Buss, 45, leaves as his agency undertakes the privatization of the prisons in the southern part of the state and the privatization of healthcare services statewide. Buss previously served as the Indiana prisons chief and earned a reputation as a reformer and cost-cutter there.