BARTOW, Fla. – The Florida Department of Citrus welcomed a new Inspector General this summer.
Kevin Eaton fills the position vacated by the recently retired Debra Funkhouser, who had been with the Department for 19 years, the last two of which she served as Inspector General.
The Florida Citrus Commission voted to approve the hiring of Eaton during its June meeting, and he began on July 1. The Department’s Inspector General reports directly to the Commission with a dotted line of accountability to the executive director.
Eaton retired from the Federal Bureau of Investigation where he worked as Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Tampa Field Office. Eaton served with the FBI for 26 years, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for three years and as an internal auditor for Ashland Oil, Inc. for one year. He graduated from Marshall University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting degree in 1985.
Eaton’s responsibilities at the FDOC include directing and coordinating internal and external audits, investigations and management reviews; promoting efficiency; preventing and detecting fraud, waste and abuse; and more.
“I am very excited and happy to begin a new career as the Inspector General for the Florida Department of Citrus,” Eaton said. “It is an honor to be a part of a the state of Florida’s inspector general community and I hope to continue in the success of my predecessor.”
According to Shannon Shepp, interim executive director of the FDOC, “Mr. Eaton brings a wealth of experience and extraordinary talents to our team. We are thrilled to have him on board.”
About the Florida Citrus Commission
The Florida Citrus Commission is the governing board of the Florida Department of Citrus, an executive agency of the Florida government charged with the marketing, research and regulation of the Florida citrus industry. The commission is a nine-member board appointed by the governor to represent citrus growers, processors and packers. FDOC activities are funded by a tax paid by growers on each box of citrus that moves through commercial channels. The industry employs nearly 62,000 people and provides an annual economic impact of nearly $10.7 billion to the state. For more information about the Florida Department of Citrus, please visit FloridaCitrus.org.
