TEAM / Brian McManus
Brian McManus joins The Southern Group after spending 14 years in various key roles in state government, gaining extensive legislative and executive branch experience.
Most recently, Brian served as the Deputy Secretary of Business Regulation at the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR). In that position, McManus supervised four divisions within the department, including Division of Hotels and Restaurants; the Division of Drugs, Devices and Cosmetics; the Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco and the Division of Condominiums, Timeshares and Hotels.
Previously, McManus served as the Deputy Secretary of Professions at DBPR, supervising six divisions that oversaw 22 regulated professions. As Deputy Secretary of Professions, he worked closely with the Secretary to develop the agency’s budget and legislative proposals, as well as manage staffing and recruitment. His success in that role led to an 8-month tenure where he also served as interim chief of staff to the Secretary. In his time with the department, Brian oversaw the licensing and regulation of more than 1.5 million licensees covering 30 professional boards and industries.
McManus served as the Chief of Staff in the Department of Economic Opportunity – now known as the Department of Commerce – from 2019-2021. In this role he managed the agencies 1,800 employees, $2 billion annual budget and day-to-day operations administering various federal and state programs that provide resources for businesses, communities, local government, and Floridians.
In addition to his executive branch experience, Brian worked in the Florida Senate which included a role as chief legislative aide to Florida Senator Dana Young in 2016 and four years in the Senate Majority Office, where he worked closely with Senate leadership to guide priority legislation.
Brian is a proud graduate of Florida State University where he graduated with bachelor’s degrees in psychology and criminology and his master’s degree in criminology. After graduating, McManus got his first stint in politics, working on Rick Scott’s gubernatorial campaign. Brian served on Governor Scott’s transition team and in numerous posts in Governor Scott’s administration.
McManus resides in Tallahassee with his wife Katie and two children.
