Michelle Salzman tweeted while the Florida House was in session today that she was filing to run for Matt Gaetz’s seat. Less than two hours later, Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis went on X to say:
@JimmyPatronis
“I am strongly considering running for Florida Congressional District 1. We’ve got an historic opportunity to fight the swamp, end lawfare and return power back into the hands of Americans. #flapol”
Patronis will have to move to District 1, but I’m hearing that Gov. DeSantis might endorse his candidacy.
His bio: Jimmy Patronis is a native Floridian born and raised in Panama City. He earned his associate degree in restaurant management from Gulf Coast Community College and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Florida State University. He is a partner in a family-owned seafood restaurant called Captain Anderson’s that celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2017. His public service career began with experience as an intern in the Florida Senate and the United Kingdom’s House of Commons. Following Patronis’ college graduation, Governor Lawton Chiles appointed him to the Florida Elections Commission, and he was later reappointed by Governor Jeb Bush.
He served in the Florida House of Representatives from 2006 to 2014, representing his hometown region in the Florida Panhandle. He was appointed to serve on Florida’s Public Service Commission, as well as the Constitution Revision Commission, which meets once every twenty years to propose changes to the state constitution.