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Acting Supervisor Takes Over At Everglades National Park

HOMESTEAD (CBSMiami/AP) — Monday was the first day on the job for the new acting superintendent of Everglades and Dry Tortugas national parks.

Shawn Benge will lead the parks for 90 days. He is taking over for Dan Kimball, who is retiring after 10 years as the parks' superintendent. Benge comes to Florida from Atlanta, where he was the deputy regional director responsible for the cluster of national parks on the Gulf Coast. In 2010, he managed the agency's response to the oil spill in the Gulf Of Mexico.

Benge has 26 years of experience with the park service, including stints in Texas, Colorado and Tennessee.

Kimball oversaw Everglades restoration projects and worked to eradicate exotic plants and animals such as the Burmese python.

(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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