Florida State Fair director submits resignation
TAMPA (FOX 13) - There has been a leadership shake-up at the State Fair Authority. The Executive Director has been replaced with an interim director.
The Office of Commissioner Adam Putnam told FOX 13 News, Putnam decided “it was time for a change in leadership at the Florida State Fair Authority.”
Putnam accepted Chuck Pesano’s resignation and said he looks forward to an open selection process for a new executive director.
Putnam’s office did not comment on the circumstances surrounding Pesano’s departure. Pesano was executive director at the Florida State Fair Authority when a teen was ejected from the fairgrounds by deputies on Student Day. The teen, Andrew Joseph III, died later that evening when he was hit by a car as he tried to cross I-4.
Joseph’s death prompted a lawsuit from the family and an investigation into the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
An interim executive director - Cheryl Fulford Flood was listed on the Florida State Fair Authority’s website.