ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – Gov. Ron DeSantis has filled three vacancies on the St. Augustine Airport Authority board.
The board, which oversees the airport’s operations, was rocked by controversy earlier this year when allegations arose that members of the board were violating Florida’s Sunshine Law by discussing policy in private, backdoor meetings.
To avoid criminal charges, board members Reba Ludlow, Len Tucker and Dennis Clarke resigned, leaving the five-member board with just two elected members.
Now, DeSantis has selected three people to finish their terms: Gerald Dedge, Mario Dipola and Nick Primrose.
The state Senate must approve the appointments.
The Airport Authority appointments
Dedge, who lives in St. Johns County, is a former St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office captain and currently serves as vice president of the Florida National Guard Foundation and as a director of the Veterans Council of St. Johns County.
Dipola, who lives in Ponte Vedra Beach, is an engineer and a member of the advisory committee for the North Florida Transportation Planning Organization, which helps develop and maintain the region’s transportation system.
Primrose, another St. Johns County resident, is a lawyer who works as an executive at the Jacksonville Port Authority. He previously worked in the state government as general counsel for the Division of Emergency Management and as the chair of the state’s Elections Commission.
The position on the Airport Authority isn’t Primrose’s first appointment by the governor. After Primrose led an unsuccessful race for a seat in Florida’s legislature in 2024, DeSantis appointed him to the board of trustees for St. Johns River State College earlier this year.