Jason Weida is an American attorney and government official who is the chief of staff to Florida governor Ron DeSantis 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.
Weida earned a B.A. from Gettysburg College, magna cum laude, and a J.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Law, with honors.[1] 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 for Paul Suttell.[1] Weida later clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit for Jeffrey R. Howard.[1]
Weida was a lawyer at Jones Day and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom.[1] As a litigation associate, he maintained a docket of pro bono cases and oversaw investigations in healthcare and other sectors.[1]
Weida served as counsel in the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Legal Policy before becoming an assistant U.S. attorney in Boston in 2016.[2][3] In these roles, he coordinated with law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).[3]
In May 2020, U.S. president Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate Weida to serve as the Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).[2] His announcement came after Trump criticized acting inspector general Christi Grimm over a report on hospital shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic.[2]
Weida joined Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), where he worked in Medicaid policy before being appointed chief of staff.[4] In January 2023, he was named interim secretary of AHCA, replacing Simone Marstiller, who stepped down ahead of Florida's lobbying ban.[5] As AHCA secretary, Weida prioritized improving maternal health outcomes, expanding childhood and teenage mental health programs, and increasing home and community-based services.[4] He also oversaw the process of awarding multi-billion-dollar contracts for Medicaid managed-care providers, which occurs every six years.[4] In April 2023, he was confirmed as the permanent AHCA secretary.[4]
In 2025, Florida governor Ron DeSantis named Weida as his chief of staff, replacing James Uthmeier, who became the state's Attorney General.[6][3] He was succeeded as secretary by Florida Department of Children and Families secretary Shevaun Harris.[7]
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