Don’t pay attention to Congressman Matt Gaetz’s denials that he doesn’t want to be Florida’s next governor. He does, and he’s worried about the competition but not from who you might think.
Last week, we reported a poll by Kaplan Strategies had Gaetz as an early favorite to win the GOP nomination for Florida governor in two years, followed closely by Rep. Byron Donalds and Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody. However, Gaetz isn’t worried about Donalds or Moody.
He fears Florida CFO Jimmy Patronis and spent time last week asking Republicans if he could beat the popular Florida Cabinet member from Panama City, according to reliable source.
If Gaetz runs for governor in 2026, we expect Re. Michelle Salzman to make a bid for Congress.
Ethically Challenged
Escambia County’s District 2, from 2018-2022, will go down as the most ethically challenged district in the county’s history, if an administrative judge finds former commissioner aide Jonathan Owens guilty of violating the state’s ethics laws.
On Friday, the State Commission on Ethics unanimously agreed with the probable cause finding that Owens leaked personal information from Commissioner Jeff Bergosh’s cell phone, which he found on a thumb drive that mysteriously appeared on his office desk. The data had been stolen from the county’s server. Read Complaint No. 23-231 In re JONATHAN L. OWENS .
The case has been passed along to an administrative law judge, who will rule on the issues of fact and make a recommended finding that the ethics commission can uphold or modify. Owens could have to pay a civil fine of up to $20,000.
Owens’ former boss, Commissioner Doug Underhill, was fined $35,000, and the Ethics Commission voted to ask the governor to remove him from office. Underhill violated state law when he leaked the transcript from an Escambia County Commission shade meeting regarding its legal strategy in a legal case. Gov. DeSantis didn’t remove the commissioner since his term was ending the next month.
BTW: This is Sunshine Week, which salutes federal and state public record laws.
Top Five Stories
The PNJ listed its top five stories for last week:
- Neighbors upset with new home in Woodland Heights
- DeLuna’s Hideout Oyster Bar & Grill
- Milton squatters
- Mayor D.C. Reeves’ trip to NOLA
- New Xiscalu Mexican Taqueria location
Our Top Five:
- The Malcolm Yonge Demolition Debate
- How We Became the U.S. Sailing Capital
- Salzman fought for Dozier survivors
- Breaking: Pensacola lands NAIA Soccer National Championship
- Andrade and Teaching Slavery
Featured Photo by Heather Ford on Unsplash