Florida’s top education official, Anastasios “Stasi” Kamoutsas, is now the only candidate in the running to become Polk State College’s sixth president.
The Polk State Presidential Search Committee named Kamoutsas the sole finalist after wrapping up its work on Tuesday, May 12. The District Board of Trustees is expected to take up that recommendation at its June 3 meeting, when Kamoutsas is also slated to visit campus for meetings and public forums. If the board signs off, he would shift from a statewide policy post to leading Polk State’s multi-campus system serving Polk County.
The college says the recommendation capped a national search led by Myers McRae that drew more than 100 applicants. Trustee Steve Lester chaired the search committee, which included faculty members, community representatives and local officials, according to the college’s release. The school detailed the process in a press statement posted by DailyRidge.
Kamoutsas’s record in state government
According to his official biography, Kamoutsas became Florida’s commissioner of education after being recommended by Gov. Ron DeSantis and selected by the State Board of Education in mid-2025. The Florida Department of Education notes that he previously served the agency in several senior roles, including general counsel and chief of staff.
Before joining the department, Kamoutsas worked as an assistant state attorney and as counsel to the Dade County Police Benevolent Association. His profile also highlights his involvement in major state education initiatives and policy priorities, as described by the Florida Department of Education.
What happens next at Polk State
The Polk State District Board of Trustees is scheduled to consider the search committee’s recommendation at its regular meeting on June 3. The college says Kamoutsas will spend that day on campus for meetings and public forums with students, faculty and community members.
The board often meets at the Polk State Center for Public Safety, and the college’s release said details about the public forums will be announced before his visit. The press release outlining the meeting and forum plans was posted by DailyRidge.
How this fits a broader trend
Kamoutsas’s status as the only finalist lands in the middle of a run of Florida higher education picks that have elevated politically connected figures into college and university presidencies, a pattern that has drawn scrutiny and pushback.
The Tampa Bay Times described Kamoutsas as the latest presidential appointee with political ties and noted the political dimensions of several recent hires. Critics and observers have pointed to controversies at multiple campuses, including the outcry around a nominee at Florida A&M, as part of a wider debate over who ends up running public colleges and universities. For additional context, see reporting by WLRN and Higher Ed Dive.
Transparency and the law
Florida’s 2022 law that keeps presidential search applications confidential until finalists are named has become a central part of the discussion about single-finalist outcomes and how open these searches really are. In response, lawmakers have filed proposals to reopen portions of the process.
Those measures would require greater public access to search records and adjust how some presidential hires are handled, according to reporting by WUSF and analysis from the Brechner Center for Freedom of Information.
The trustees’ June 3 meeting will determine whether Kamoutsas trades Tallahassee for Polk County, and the same day’s campus forums are set to be the first scheduled chance for students, faculty and local residents to question him directly about his plans for the college. Polk State says it will publish details on those forums and how the public can participate in the coming days.
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