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Florida Is For Veterans Taps Director, Starts Hammering Out Mission

Florida is for Veterans Executive Director Bobby Carbonell.
The Florida Channel

A Florida agency tasked with raising the state’s profile among veterans is getting down to business.  Monday, Florida is for Veterans named its executive director and discussed its strategic mission.

Florida Governor Rick Scott has made veteran outreach a priority in his administration—last year signing a state ‘GI Bill’ that among other things created Florida is for Veterans.  Monday the group’s board began refining how it will attract veterans, connect them with employers and while maintaining a lean organization.  But in all the minutiae, Board Chairman Jim Bagby put the mission succinctly.

“If you want to neck this all down?  Three word mission statement?  That’s it: increase veteran employment,” Bagby says.

The group also named Bobby Carbonell executive director.  Carbonell is an Iraqi war veteran and co-owner of growler country, a growler filling station in Tallahassee.

Nick Evans came to Tallahassee to pursue a masters in communications at Florida State University. He graduated in 2014, but not before picking up an internship at WFSU. While he worked on his degree Nick moved from intern, to part-timer, to full-time reporter. Before moving to Tallahassee, Nick lived in and around the San Francisco Bay Area for 15 years. He listens to far too many podcasts and is a die-hard 49ers football fan. When Nick’s not at work he likes to cook, play music and read.