Polk State board approves Florida education chief as next president
Tampa Bay Times | Divya Kumar | June 4, 2026
After a year as education commissioner, Anastasios Kamoutsas will begin leading the college next month.
Anastasios Kamoutsas was unanimously approved by Polk State College’s board as the college’s sixth president on Wednesday.
The commissioner of education, whose yearlong tenure was marked by volatile rhetoric and a reputation of being an enforcer of Gov. Ron DeSantis, will start at the college on July 6. He emerged as the sole finalist in a search with more than 100 applicants.
Kamoutsas has previously served as chief of staff, general counsel, chief litigator and assistant general counsel for the state Department of Education, as well as DeSantis’ deputy chief of staff.
“We are confident in Mr. Kamoutsas’s leadership, experience and vision to move our College forward,” board chairperson Ann Barnhart said in a statement. “We look forward to the difference he will make in the lives of our students, faculty, staff and community members who we support through the endeavors of our College.”
A news release said Kamoutsas met with around 250 students, faculty, staff and members of the community prior to the board meeting.
“I am grateful for the overwhelming support from the District Board of Trustees, Presidential Search Committee and College community,” Kamoutsas said in a statement. “I am committed to building on Polk State’s strong foundation and ensuring that we continue to meet the growing workforce demands of Polk County.”
