5/3/2021

Florida Division of Emergency Management Announces Kevin Guthrie as Director and Steven Hynes as Deputy Director

Today, the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) announced the appointment of Kevin Guthrie as Director and Steven Hynes as Deputy Director. Guthrie has more than 30 years of experience in public safety and emergency management and has served as the Deputy Director for the Division since 2018. This appointment fills the vacancy created by the resignation of former FDEM Director Jared Moskowitz. Hynes has more than 20 years of experience in public safety and emergency management and most recently served as the Operations Section Chief for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region 4 Incident Management Assistance Team.

“I want to thank Governor DeSantis for his leadership and confidence as I transition into this new position,” said FDEM Director Kevin Guthrie. “In the last three years with the Division, I have had the great pleasure of working alongside the dedicated staff at the Division as we responded to disasters and utilized every resource available to create more resilient communities in Florida. I look forward to continuing this work in my new role and applying lessons learned from previous responses as we continue to make Florida a leader in emergency management.”

“After serving at the local and federal levels, I’m looking forward to working with the dedicated emergency management professionals at the Division,” said FDEM Deputy Director Steven Hynes. “As the state continues to respond to COVD-19 and enters the 2021 Atlantic Hurricane season, I’m committed to supporting the Division’s mission and ensuring Floridians and their communities have all the resources necessary to mitigate against, respond to and recover from disasters.”

Other senior management changes in the Division include:

• Melissa Shirah, Bureau Chief for Recovery
• Jason Ray, Chief Information Officer
• Stephanie Stachowicz, General Counsel

Kevin Guthrie, Director, Florida Division of Emergency Management

Kevin Guthrie has more than 30 years of experience in Public Safety and Emergency Management in the state of Florida, including 14 years of experience dedicated to emergency management. He spent 23 years as a Police Officer and Emergency Preparedness Coordinator with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. He served as the Public Safety and Emergency Management Director for the Flagler County Board of County Commissioners. He then served as the Assistant County Administrator for Public Safety for Pasco County, in this position he was responsible for all Emergency Services, Fire/Rescue and the 911 Communications Center Departments.

In October 2018, Governor Rick Scott appointed Guthrie as Chief of Staff for the Florida Division of Emergency Management. In January 2019, Governor Ron DeSantis appointed him as Deputy Director of FDEM. Guthrie’s primary focuses as Deputy Director included coordinating efforts among all State agencies, Counties and Municipalities in dealing with natural and man-made disasters to ensure that all of Florida is prepared and ready to respond. During the state of Florida’s COVID-19 response, Guthrie served as the Deputy State Coordinating Officer and the State Emergency Response Team Chief.

Guthrie has won numerous awards for his efforts and success in emergency management, including the Chad Reed First Responder Award from Governor Rick Scott and the Presidential Call to Service Award from President Barack Obama.

Guthrie holds a Master of Arts in Human Services from Liberty University and a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from Columbia College. Guthrie is also a certified Master Exercise Practitioner by FEMA.

Steven Hynes, Deputy Director, Florida Division of Emergency Management

Steven Hynes has more than 20 years of experience in Public Safety and Emergency management at the local, state and federal government level and has also served as a member of the United States Navy. He spent 20 years with the City of Delray Beach Police Department and served the city in a variety of roles including the Director of Emergency Management, where he developed and maintained the City’s Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan. He then served as the Operations Section Chief for the FEMA Region 4 Incident Management Assistance Team and received an excellence rating from the Federal Coordinating Officer for leading and coordinating operations that supported states within Region 4.

For the last ten years, Hynes has deployed on international and domestic emergency response missions in several Incident Command System positions, including Incident Commander.

Hynes also served as a Qualified Incident Commander for the Southeast Florida All Hazards Incident Management Team for five years. In this position, he oversaw emergency management response teams that responded to disasters and provided support to local and state governments in the Southeast Florida region, including Hurricane Irma. In this role, he also coordinated with local governments applying for grant programs under the Stafford Act.

Hynes has also served as an Adjunct Instructor for the Broward Community College Institute of Public Safety for 15 years and also served as an Adjunct Instructor for Florida Atlantic University for the university’s International Emergency Management Immersion Program.

Hynes holds a Bachelor of Arts in Emergency and Disaster Management from American Military University. Hynes is also a certified Master Exercise Practitioner by FEMA and a Certified Emergency Manager by the International Association of Emergency Managers.