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Jimmy Patronis

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Jimmy Patronis
4th Chief Financial Officer of Florida
Incumbent
Assumed office
June 30, 2017
GovernorRick Scott
Ron DeSantis
Preceded byJeff Atwater
Member of the Florida Public Service Commission
In office
January 2, 2015[1] – June 25, 2017
GovernorRick Scott
Preceded byEduardo Balbis[2]
Succeeded byGary Clark[3]
Member of the Florida House of Representatives
from the 6th district
In office
November 7, 2006 – November 4, 2014
Preceded byAllan Bense
Succeeded byJay Trumbull
Personal details
Born (1972-04-13) April 13, 1972 (age 52)
Panama City, Florida, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseKatie Patronis
Children2
EducationGulf Coast State College (AS)
Florida State University (BS)

Jimmy Theo Patronis Jr. (born April 13, 1972) is an American politician and the former chief financial officer of the state of Florida. He was previously a member of the Florida House of Representatives representing the 6th district, which includes Panama City and other parts of southern Bay County, from 2006 to 2014.[4]

Early life and education

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Patronis was born in Panama City, Florida on April 13, 1972. Patronis attended Gulf Coast Community College, where he graduated with his associate degree in restaurant management in 1994, and Florida State University, where he graduated with his bachelor degree in political science in 1996.[5] While at Florida State University, Patronis worked as an intern in the Florida Senate and the House of Commons of the United Kingdom.[6]

After graduation, in 1998, he was appointed by Governor Lawton Chiles to the Florida Elections Commission and again in 2001 by Governor Jeb Bush where he served until 2003. Patronis also served as chairman of the Bay County Airport Authority from 2004 to 2006.[7]

Career

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Florida House of Representatives

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Due to term limits, Allan Bense, the speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, could not seek re-election in 2006. Patronis ran to succeed him in the 6th District, which included Gulf County, southern Bay County, and western Franklin County. Patronis won the Republican primary with 39% of the vote, defeating Lee Sullivan, Cameron Floyd Skinner, and Bill Fisher. In the general election, Patronis defeated Democratic nominee Janice Lucas with 67% of the vote. He was re-elected without opposition in 2008. In 2010, he defeated Democratic nominee John McDonald with 78% of the vote.

In 2012, following the reconfiguration of districts, Patronis remained in the 6th District, but it swapped its portions in Franklin County and Gulf County for a further incursion into Bay County. He was unopposed in both the primary and general elections, and thus was re-elected again unopposed. Patronis could not run for the Florida House again after 2012 due to term limits.

In 2015, Patronis was appointed to the Florida Public Service Commission by Governor Rick Scott for a four-year term.[8]

Chief Financial Officer of Florida

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On February 10, 2017, Florida's chief financial officer, Jeff Atwater, announced that he would resign in order to take the position of CFO for Florida Atlantic University.[9] Governor Scott officially announced the appointment of Patronis on June 25, 2017. Patronis was officially sworn in to complete Atwater's term on June 30, 2017.[10]

Patronis ran for his first full term in the 2018 CFO election. Patronis was unopposed in the Republican primary. The Democratic nominee was former state senator Jeremy Ring of Broward County. Though Patronis and Ring did not debate on stage, the race was noted for its acrimony, with much attention being drawn to Ring's resume at Yahoo! and Patronis' close ties with Governor Scott. Despite Ring going into election day with a 5-point lead in polling, Patronis defeated Ring, receiving 52% of the vote to Ring's 48%.[11]

During the 2019 legislative session, Patronis worked to pass the firefighter cancer relief bill to provide protection and financial coverage to firefighters who are diagnosed with certain types of cancers.[12]

In response to former president Donald Trump's indictments, Patronis promoted a plan to provide up to $5 million in taxpayer funds to Trump to pay his legal bills. A bill was filed to enact this proposal by state senator Ileana Garcia, but was withdrawn after a veto threat by Governor Ron DeSantis.[13][14][15]

Personal life

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Patronis and his family have run Captain Anderson's, a historic seafood restaurant in Panama City, for over 50 years. He is currently a partner in the business.[citation needed]

Patronis met his wife Katie in 1998 when her uncle, a family friend, introduced them at Captain Anderson's. They were married in 2006 and have two children. She currently works as a real estate agent in Panama City.[16]

References

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  1. ^ FPSC Commissioner History
  2. ^ "Jimmy Patronis".
  3. ^ "Appointments Made to Florida Public Service Commission". 19 September 2017.
  4. ^ "Jimmy Patronis - 2018 - 2020 ( Speaker Oliva )". www.myfloridahouse.gov. Retrieved 2019-03-15.
  5. ^ "The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart. Retrieved 2019-03-15.
  6. ^ "Chief Financial Officer". www.myfloridacfo.com. Retrieved 2019-03-15.
  7. ^ "Meet Jimmy". Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis. Retrieved 2019-03-15.
  8. ^ "- Florida Public Service Commission". www.psc.state.fl.us. Retrieved 2019-03-15.
  9. ^ "Jeff Atwater, Florida's CFO, to resign for job at Florida Atlantic University". miamiherald. Retrieved 2019-03-15.
  10. ^ "Rick Scott appoints longtime ally Jimmy Patronis as Florida CFO". Tampa Bay Times. 2017-06-26. Retrieved 2019-03-15.
  11. ^ Florida, News Service of (7 November 2018). "Jimmy Patronis Wins Full Term As Florida's CFO". WLRN-FM. Retrieved 2019-03-15.
  12. ^ "Battle after the blaze: State officials weigh in on firefighter cancer bill". WSTP. 28 March 2019. Retrieved 2019-03-28.
  13. ^ "DeSantis nixes Florida Republican's plan to help pay Trump legal fees". The Washington Post. January 22, 2024.
  14. ^ "Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis wants new law to help fund legal defense of presidential candidates". Pensacola News Journal. November 8, 2023.
  15. ^ "Florida plan to have taxpayers pay Trump's legal bills nixed after DeSantis veto threat". Politico. January 22, 2024.
  16. ^ Gross, Samantha. "Patronis talks wife's battle with cancer, Hurricane Michael's wrath on his hometown". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2019-03-15.
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Party political offices
Preceded by Republican nominee for Chief Financial Officer of Florida
2018, 2022 		Most recent
Political offices
Preceded by Chief Financial Officer of Florida
2017–present 		Incumbent
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