Biden appoints Charlie Crist to ambassador role

WASHINGTON, D.C. (FLV) – President Joe Biden selected former Florida Gov. and U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist for an ambassador role on the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization, an agency within the United Nations.

Crist recently ran for governor as a Democrat, losing to Gov. Ron DeSantis by nearly 20 points.

Before that, he represented the Tampa Bay area in the U.S. Congress. He was also a past Florida attorney general and commissioner of education.

The White House said in a statement that Crist “guided” Florida through “challenging times” as governor during the Great Recession.

“Despite drastic budget shortfalls due to the economic crisis, he made public education a top priority, steering federal stimulus funding to save thousands of teachers’ jobs,” they said. “He is also a staunch environmental advocate, working at the federal and state levels to help secure billions in public and private aid to restore the Florida Everglades.”

The Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization’s function is to deal with air transport policy.

The group convenes panels, task forces, conferences and seminars to recommend “standards” and “practices” for global aviation.

The organization’s website states that it does not institute requirements or regulations.

During his gubernatorial campaign, Crist received assistance from Biden in the final weeks leading up to the election where DeSantis prevailed.

Crist was a strong supporter of Biden, previously arguing the president has been “phenomenal” and has done “exceptional” work for the country.

He was also criticized by Republicans for voting “100%” with Biden’s policies in Congress.