When Gov. Rick Scott visited Pensacola this summer for a rally at a VFW hall, Jimmy Patronis introduced him to the crowd. That relationship has paid off for the Panama City lawmaker.
Gov. Scott has named state Rep. Jimmy Patronis to a seat on the Florida Public Service Commission, which pays $131,036 a year. Patronis is scheduled to leave the House in November because of term limits. Patronis, vice president of the family-run Captain Anderson’s Restaurant, was an early political supporter of Scott in 2010 and most recently has served as chairman of the House Economic Affairs Committee.
“Representative Patronis has faithfully served Florida families during his years of service in the Florida House of Representatives,” Scott said in a prepared statement. “I am confident that Jimmy will make an excellent addition to the Public Service Commission as he continues to put Florida families first.”
The governor also reappointed Commissioner Julie Brown, an attorney from Tampa, who has served on the Public Service Commission since January 2011.
Scott chose Patronis and Brown from a list of seven finalists that also included former state Rep. Dave Murzin, R-Pensacola, and Patrick Sheehan, director of the Office of Energy in the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
source: The News Service of Florida