Josie Tamayo was appointed Friday by Gov. Ron DeSantis as CEO of Volunteer Florida, replacing Corey Simon, who resigned in June after entering the race for a state Senate seat.

Tamayo, who will head an agency that oversees more than $23 million in federal and state money, has served as general counsel for five state agencies, most recently the Agency for Health Care Administration.

Then-Gov. Charlie Crist in 2010 appointed the Cuba-born Tamayo as a judge in the 2nd Judicial Circuit, which includes Tallahassee and surrounding areas.

Tamayo was defeated in a 2012 election for the seat. Simon, a former Florida State University and NFL football player, was recruited by DeSantis to run Volunteer Florida in 2020.

He is running in November to try to unseat state Sen. Loranne Ausley, D-Tallahassee, in Senate District 3.