The governor, who leaves office in January, praised Sole for his response to the oil spill, which has dominated the attention of state government since the end of April.
``As the point person for Florida's response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Mike has demonstrated unwavering commitment and invaluable insight into what actions must be taken,'' Crist said in a statement. ``Now that the well is close to being capped permanently, we wish Mike well as he leaves next month to pursue other opportunities. We wish him the very best in his new endeavors.''
In a resignation letter to Crist, Sole said with the oil well now capped, he can make a professional transition without disrupting the state's response to the spill.
``For the past three months, I have had the tremendous opportunity to help Florida respond to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill,'' he wrote to Crist. ``Now that the well has been capped, and Florida is on the road to recovery, it is necessary for me to announce my departure date.''
A DEP spokesperson told the News Service that Sole has not announced his post-DEP plans, and he made no specific mention of what's next in his letter to Crist.
A longtime DEP employee, Sole became one of Crist's early Cabinet picks when the newly elected governor selected him as secretary in December of 2006. Prior to assuming the helm of the agency, Sole served as the department's deputy secretary for regulatory programs and energy and its chief of staff. He also worked previously as the director of the DEP's Division of Waste Management.
Sole started out as a biological scientist for the Florida Department of Natural Resources, one of the former state agencies that was combined to form DEP.
Crist hailed Sole's long service to the state, citing efforts he made as DEP secretary before the spill.
``For more than 20 years, Secretary Sole has shown tremendous leadership in safeguarding one of Florida's greatest assets -- our beautiful natural environment,'' he said. ``During his time at the helm of the Department of Environmental Protection, he has championed Florida's Everglades restoration, including expanding our efforts to the northernmost parts of an ecosystem that is essential to the water quality of millions of Floridians, as well as the vital estuary of Florida Bay.''
Crist, who was once regarded as one of the nation's most environmentally conscious Republican governors, also praised Sole's work in the energy arena.
``Mike has also been instrumental in Florida's first efforts to address climate change by increasing state government's energy efficiency and reliance on alternative fuels such as solar energy and ethanol,'' he said. ``He also worked to pass groundbreaking bipartisan energy legislation that set Florida on its first steps to diversify the state's energy sources, promote energy conservation and efficiency, and spur economic growth.''
Interim Secretary Drew has been DEP's deputy secretary of regulatory programs since 2007. Before that, she was director of the division of water resource management for about a decade. Drew is a graduate of the University of Florida, where she received a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in environmental engineering and sciences.
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