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Senate Prez designate Gaetz prepares for new role with top staff changes

Incoming Florida Senate President Don Gaetz is building his leadership team. Gaetz has tapped the head of the Department of Revenue as his new policy advisor.

Effective July 1st, Lisa Vickers will leave her current role as the Florida Department of Revenue’s executive director and become the chief policy advisor for incoming Senate President Don Gaetz. Gaetz says he’s worked with her before, and knows Vickers will be a great asset to his team.

“I just feel she’s one of the top players in state government. She heads an important agency that brings in the dollars that fund the critical services for the people of Florida. She’s widely respected by Democrats and Republicans. She’s not an ideolog. She is instead a solid, substantive policy person,” said Gaetz.

Katie Betta, Spokeswoman for outgoing House Speaker Dean Cannon, will soon do the same job for Gaetz. Meanwhile, Gaetz plans to keep his current Chief of Staff, Chris Clark, in the same top aide position during his term as Senate President.

Sascha Cordner has more than ten years of public radio experience. It includes working at NPR member station WUFT-FM in Gainesville for several years. She's worked in both radio and TV, serving in various capacities as a reporter, producer and anchor. She's also a graduate of the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in telecommunications. She is the recipient of 15 awards from the Associated Press, Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), and Edward R. Murrow. Her award-winning stories include her coverage on the infamous “Dozier School for Boys” and a feature titled "Male Breast Cancer: Lost in the Sea of Pink." Currently, Sascha serves as the host and producer of local and state news content for the afternoon news program "All Things Considered" at WFSU. Sascha primarily covers criminal justice and social services issues. When she's not reporting, Sascha likes catching up on her favorite TV shows, singing and reading. Follow Sascha Cordner on Twitter:@SaschaCordner.