Jason Weida is an American attorney and government official who is the

chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

governor

Ron DeSantis Ronald Dion DeSantis (; born September 14, 1978) is an American politician, attorney, and former United States Navy, naval officer serving as the 46th List of governors of Florida, governor of Florida since 2019. A member of the Republican Pa ...

since 2025. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as secretary of the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration from 2023 to 2025.

Education

Weida earned a B.A. from

Gettysburg College Gettysburg College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1832, the campus is adjacent to the Gettysburg Battlefield. Gettysburg College has about ...

magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

, and a J.D. from the

University of Connecticut School of Law The University of Connecticut School of Law (UConn Law) is the law school associated with the University of Connecticut and located in Hartford, Connecticut. It is the only public law school in Connecticut and one of only four in New England. As ...

, with honors. He clerked on the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island for William E. Smith, and on the

Rhode Island Supreme Court The Rhode Island Supreme Court is the Supreme court, court of last resort in the U.S. State of Rhode Island. The Court consists of a Chief Justice and four Associate Justices, all selected by the Governor of Rhode Island from candidates vetted by ...

for

Paul Suttell Paul Allyn Suttell (born January 10, 1949) is the chief justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court. Suttell graduated from the Moses Brown School in Providence, Rhode IslanHe then attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, from whi ...

. Weida later clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit for Jeffrey R. Howard.

Career

Weida was a lawyer at

Jones Day Jones Day is an American multinational law firm based in Washington, D.C. As of 2023, it is one of the largest law firms in the United States, with 2,302 attorneys, and among the highest-grossing in the world with revenues of $2.5 billion. Foun ...

and

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates (known as Skadden) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational law firm headquartered in New York City. The firm comprises approximately 1,700 lawyers and is the fourth highest ...

. As a litigation associate, he maintained a docket of

pro bono ( English: 'for the public good'), usually shortened to , is a Latin phrase for professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment. The term traditionally referred to provision of legal services by legal professionals for people who a ...

cases and oversaw investigations in healthcare and other sectors. Weida served as counsel in the

U.S. Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the U.S. government that oversees the domestic enforcement of federal laws and the administration of justice. It is equi ...

Office of Legal Policy The Office of Legal Policy (OLP) is a senior management office within the United States Department of Justice, which describes itself as the "focal point for the development and coordination of Departmental policy." In addition to rendering lega ...

before becoming an

assistant U.S. attorney An assistant United States attorney (AUSA) is an official career civil service position in the U.S. Department of Justice composed of lawyers working under the U.S. attorney of each U.S. federal judicial district. They represent the federal gov ...

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

in 2016. In these roles, he coordinated with law enforcement agencies, including the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

(FBI) and the

Drug Enforcement Administration The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating illicit Illegal drug trade, drug trafficking a ...

(DEA). In May 2020, U.S. president

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

announced his intent to nominate Weida to serve as the Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). His announcement came after Trump criticized acting inspector general

Christi Grimm Christi A. Grimm is a former American government official who had served as the Inspector General in the United States Department of Health and Human Services. Early life and education Grimm holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Colora ...

over a report on hospital shortages during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Weida joined

Agency for Health Care Administration The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) is the chief health policy and planning entity for the US state of Florida. The agency was created by the Florida Legislature as part of the Health Care Reform Act of 1992. The agency is t ...

(AHCA), where he worked in

Medicaid Medicaid is a government program in the United States that provides health insurance for adults and children with limited income and resources. The program is partially funded and primarily managed by U.S. state, state governments, which also h ...

policy before being appointed

. In January 2023, he was named interim secretary of AHCA, replacing Simone Marstiller, who stepped down ahead of Florida's lobbying ban. As AHCA secretary, Weida prioritized improving

maternal health Maternal health is the health of people during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period. In most cases, maternal health encompasses the health care dimensions of family planning, Pre-conception counseling, preconception, Prenatal care, pr ...

outcomes, expanding childhood and teenage

mental health Mental health is often mistakenly equated with the absence of mental illness. However, mental health refers to a person's overall emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It influences how individuals think, feel, and behave, and how t ...

programs, and increasing home and community-based services. He also oversaw the process of awarding multi-billion-dollar contracts for Medicaid managed-care providers, which occurs every six years. In April 2023, he was confirmed as the permanent AHCA secretary. In 2025, Florida governor

named Weida as his chief of staff, replacing

James Uthmeier James William Uthmeier (born November 20, 1987) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the 39th Florida Attorney General, Florida attorney general since 2025. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he previou ...

, who became the state's

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

. He was succeeded as secretary by

Florida Department of Children and Families The Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) is a state agency of Florida. Its headquarters are at 2415 North Monroe St., Ste. 400 in Tallahassee, Florida. The department provides social services in Florida to children, adults, refugees ...

secretary Shevaun Harris.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Weida, Jason Living people Date of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) Gettysburg College alumni University of Connecticut School of Law alumni Jones Day people Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom people United States Department of Justice officials Assistant United States attorneys First Trump administration personnel 21st-century Florida politicians 21st-century American lawyers Florida lawyers Chiefs of staff to the governor of Florida State cabinet secretaries of Florida Lawyers from Boston