TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Republican Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis is tapping state Rep. Halsey Beshears to run the Florida department that regulates businesses and professional licensing.

DeSantis announced his pick to run the Department of Business and Professional Regulation on Tuesday. Beshears was elected to the House in 2012 and would have to leave office in 2020 because of term limits.

Beshears is chief financial officer for Simpson Nurseries, a Florida- and Tennessee-based wholesale nursery that specializes in pecan and fruit trees among other trees and shrubs.

He's also been an advocate in the Legislature for eliminating business regulations.

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