UF law alumnus Tim Cerio (JD 95) has been selected by Gov. Jeb Bush to serve as general counsel for Florida’s Department of Health, where he will oversee all legal issues for the department. Cerio began his tenure Jan. 31 after taking a leave of absence from his Tampa law firm and moving with his wife and children to Tallahassee.

“I am honored to receive this opportunity to serve the Department of Health and the citizens of Florida,” Cerio said.

After graduating UF law with honors, Cerio clerked for the Hon. Thomas G. Wilson, U. S. magistrate judge for the Middle District of Florida, and practiced with the law firm of Hill, Ward & Henderson before joining GrayRobinson’s Tampa office as a shareholder. Cerio’s areas of expertise include litigation, environmental and land use law, and government. His practice at GrayRobinson focused on government law in the firm’s public law department.

This is not Cerio’s first position in state government: as an undergraduate at UF, he served as the student member of the Florida Board of Regents and as director of lobbying and government relations for Student Government. During law school, Cerio was also a member of the Florida Law Review’s editorial board.

Cerio remains actively involved in the Levin College of Law, currently serving as president-elect of the Law Alumni Council. He is also a member of the Florida and Hillsborough County Bar Associations, the UF Student Affairs Advisory Committee, and the Tampa Gator Club.