Gov. Rick Scott is appointing maverick legislator Mike Fasano to the position of Pasco County tax collector.
The governor's office said that Scott is appointing Fasano, R-New Port Richey, to the job on Wednesday. He succeeds Mike Olson, who died earlier this year.
The appointment of 55-year-old Fasano to the post means that the Florida Legislature will lose a veteran legislator who criticized fellow Republicans on their handling of issues such as prison privatization and property insurance.
Fasano had spent nearly 20 years as a legislator and served in both the state Senate and the state House. He is currently employed as a hospital administrator.
Fasano will hold the seat until the 2014 elections when he would have to run for re-election in order to keep the job.
