Jimmy Patronis
Jimmy Theo Patronis Jr. (born April 13, 1972) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Florida's 1st congressional district since April 2025.[1][2] A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as Florida's Chief Financial Officer from 2017 to 2025, managing the state's financial operations, insurance regulation, and fire services.[3] Born and raised in Panama City as a fourth-generation Floridian, Patronis attended Bay High School and earned an associate degree in restaurant management from Gulf Coast Community College before entering politics.[1][4] Patronis was appointed Chief Financial Officer by Governor Rick Scott in 2017 and subsequently elected to the position in 2018 and 2022, during which he focused on consumer protection, fraud prevention, and disaster response coordination.[5] His tenure included oversight of the Florida State Fire Marshal and efforts to combat insurance fraud amid hurricane vulnerabilities in the state.[6] Prior to that, he represented District 6 in the Florida House of Representatives from 2006 to 2017, advocating for business interests rooted in his family's ownership of Captain Anderson's Restaurant.[7] In 2025, Patronis won a special election to succeed Matt Gaetz in Congress, emphasizing support for veterans, Second Amendment rights, and economic policies aligned with former President Trump.[2][4] Married to Katie Patronis with two sons, he maintains a profile as a Panhandle native committed to conservative principles and local economic resilience.[4]
Early Life and Education
Upbringing and Family Background
Jimmy Patronis was born on April 13, 1972, in Panama City, Bay County, Florida.[1][8] As a fourth-generation Floridian of Greek descent, he was raised in the Panama City area of Florida's Panhandle, where his family had deep roots in the local business community.[4] His paternal grandfather, Theo Patronis, immigrated to the United States from the Greek island of Patmos in 1921, establishing the family's presence in Florida through early ventures like a nickel hot dog shop alongside Theo's wife, Evangelia.[9] Patronis grew up in a family immersed in the restaurant industry, with his father, Jimmy Patronis Sr. (born January 19, 1931, in Tallahassee), and uncle Johnny co-founding Capt. Anderson's, a prominent seafood restaurant in Panama City Beach that opened in 1967.[10][11] Jimmy Sr., a restaurateur and civic leader who graduated from Florida State University in 1953, instilled values of hard work and community involvement, as the brothers operated the business with daily alternating shifts for nearly five decades.[12] Patronis worked at Capt. Anderson's during his early years, gaining hands-on experience in the family enterprise that shaped his understanding of local economic dynamics.[13] Little public information details Patronis's siblings or specific childhood experiences beyond his lifelong residency in the Panhandle and exposure to family-run hospitality operations, though he has referenced childhood memories tied to the region, including areas devastated by hurricanes like Michael in 2018.[14] His upbringing emphasized entrepreneurial resilience, reflecting the immigrant heritage and multi-generational commitment to Florida's coastal economy.[15]Academic and Early Professional Pursuits
Patronis attended Bay High School in Panama City, Florida, graduating in 1990.[16] He subsequently enrolled at Gulf Coast Community College, earning an associate degree in restaurant management between 1992 and 1994.[15] [17] Patronis then transferred to Florida State University, where he studied political science from 1994 to 1996, though he did not complete a bachelor's degree.[17] [16] Following his postsecondary education, Patronis joined the family-owned Capt. Anderson's seafood restaurant in Panama City Beach, a business established in 1967 by his uncles, Jimmy Patronis Sr. and Johnny Patronis.[12] [13] As the youngest of four siblings, he began working there as a teenager, performing tasks such as bussing tables, taking out trash, and filling condiment bottles, before advancing to operational roles.[18] By the late 1990s and early 2000s, Patronis had become a partner and co-owner, contributing to the management of the establishment, which has served local and tourist clientele for over five decades and remains a fixture in the regional economy.[15] [19] This experience in small business operations, including handling daily shifts and customer service in a competitive hospitality sector, formed the basis of his pre-political professional background.[20]State-Level Political Career
Service in the Florida House of Representatives
Jimmy Patronis was first elected to the Florida House of Representatives in the 2006 general election, representing District 6 as a Republican.[21] The district included Gulf County and portions of Bay and Franklin counties in the Florida Panhandle.[22] He secured reelection in 2008, 2010, and 2012, serving continuously until November 2014, when he resigned following his appointment to the Florida Public Service Commission.[21] [23] During his tenure, Patronis held several committee assignments reflecting interests in health policy, state governance, and regulatory matters. In the 2006-2008 term, he served as vice chair of the Committee on Health Innovation and was a member of the Community Affairs Policy Committee and the Healthy Families Subcommittee.[22] By the 2010-2012 term, he advanced to vice chair of the State Affairs Committee, while also serving on the Rules & Calendar Committee and the Rulemaking & Regulation Subcommittee.[7] These roles positioned him to influence legislation on state operations, ethics, and administrative procedures. Patronis sponsored and co-sponsored numerous bills addressing local and state issues, including measures on health care access, economic incentives for Northwest Florida, and regulatory streamlining for small businesses. For instance, in 2014, he introduced House Resolution 3A expressing support for the State of Israel amid regional conflicts.[24] His legislative efforts emphasized fiscal conservatism and support for coastal communities, aligning with his background as a local business owner in the restaurant industry.[25]Tenure on the Florida Public Service Commission
Patronis was appointed to the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) by Governor Rick Scott effective January 1, 2015, for a four-year term, succeeding Eduardo E. Balbis who had resigned.[26][21] The PSC, an independent regulatory agency, oversees investor-owned utilities in Florida, including electric, natural gas, and telecommunications providers, with authority to set rates, approve infrastructure investments, and ensure service reliability and safety.[18] As a commissioner, Patronis participated in commission votes and hearings on rate cases, fuel cost recoveries, and capital projects.[27] During his tenure, the PSC approved expenditures and true-up amounts for fuel adjustment factors, Gulf Power's integrated resource plan incentives, and projected net operating revenues in docketed orders bearing Patronis's concurrence.[27] In June 2015, the commission, including Patronis, voted 3-2 against PSC staff recommendations to deny Florida Power & Light's request to recover costs for fracking-related natural gas exploration, allowing ratepayers to finance an estimated $100 million in such projects despite environmental and cost concerns raised by intervenors.[28][29] Patronis emphasized the long-term nature of permitting and development for such initiatives, aligning with utility arguments for securing domestic energy supplies.[29] Patronis resigned from the PSC on June 27, 2017, upon his appointment as Florida's Chief Financial Officer, creating a vacancy filled later by gubernatorial appointment.[30][31] His service on the commission followed eight years in the Florida House of Representatives and preceded his CFO role, during which he also briefly served on the 2017-2018 Florida Constitution Revision Commission.[21] No major controversies directly tied to Patronis's PSC actions were reported during this period, though the commission's decisions on utility rate recoveries drew scrutiny from consumer advocates over potential cost shifts to ratepayers.[28]Chief Financial Officer of Florida
Appointment and Core Responsibilities
Jimmy Patronis was appointed as Florida's Chief Financial Officer by Governor Rick Scott on June 30, 2017, following the resignation of incumbent Jeff Atwater, who stepped down to become president of Florida State University.[32][33] Patronis, then serving as Speaker Pro Tempore of the Florida House of Representatives, was sworn into office that same day by Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Jorge Labarga in the Governor's office.[32] The appointment filled the vacancy effective immediately, with Patronis later winning election to the post in November 2018 and re-election in 2022.[21] As Chief Financial Officer, Patronis headed the Florida Department of Financial Services and served as the state's chief fiscal officer, with statutory duties including settling and approving all accounts against the state, maintaining custody of state funds and securities, and auditing state agencies and expenditures.[34][35] The role also encompassed oversight of state investments, including directing the investment of general revenue funds, trust funds, and agency funds to ensure prudent management and compliance with Florida law.[36][37] Additional core responsibilities included regulating the insurance industry, combating financial fraud and scams through initiatives like consumer protection services, and serving as the State Fire Marshal to enforce fire safety codes and investigate arson cases.[35][38] The CFO position also involved managing unclaimed property, processing payroll for state employees, and coordinating with other cabinet members on fiscal policy, all while operating as one of Florida's three elected constitutional executives alongside the governor and attorney general.[34][37] During Patronis's tenure, these duties extended to handling crisis responses, such as insurance claims processing after hurricanes, underscoring the office's role in safeguarding public assets amid Florida's vulnerability to natural disasters.[38]Key Policy Initiatives and Achievements
As Florida's Chief Financial Officer, Jimmy Patronis prioritized insurance market stabilization through advocacy for legislative reforms aimed at curbing abuses and enhancing accountability. In 2023, he supported Senate Bill 7052, which imposed stricter standards on insurers to improve financial solvency and consumer protections, and Senate Bill 1002, targeting assignment of benefits (AOB) exploitation that fueled litigation and fraud.[39] Earlier, in 2022, Patronis proposed banning AOB practices outright to reduce fraud incentives and stabilize premiums, contributing to broader tort reforms that reduced insurer withdrawals and litigation rates.[40] These efforts aligned with state-wide reforms under Governor Ron DeSantis, which Patronis defended as effective in restoring market confidence, evidenced by increased insurer stability post-2022.[41] Patronis launched and expanded consumer protection programs to assist policyholders, particularly after storms. His office deployed Insurance Villages—temporary aid centers—securing $24 million in claims payments for victims of Hurricane Idalia in 2023 and $3.2 million following Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024.[39][42] He secured $200 million in funding for the My Safe Florida Home program, enabling over 100,000 home inspections and $400 million in grants for wind mitigation, yielding average annual premium savings of $1,000 per policyholder.[42] Additionally, Patronis extended a sales tax exemption on home-hardening materials through June 2026, saving Floridians $495 million since 2022, and issued emergency rules ahead of hurricanes like Milton in October 2024 to safeguard consumers from predatory contracts.[43][44] Fraud prevention formed a core initiative, with Patronis establishing the Fraud Free Florida program in February 2024 as a centralized reporting hub for scams and insurance fraud.[45] His Division of Investigative and Forensic Services opened 1,400 fraud cases in 2023—resulting in 630 arrests and $160 million in restitution—and 1,200 cases in 2024, yielding 610 arrests and $45 million recovered.[39][42] Post-storm deployments of Disaster Fraud Action Strike Teams (DFAST) were routine; in 2023, 23 personnel covered 16 counties after Idalia, while 2024 saw 29 units and 170 staff across 25 counties.[39][42] Patronis also proposed a 10-day rescission period for roofing contracts during emergencies and amendments to the False Claims Act to empower whistleblowers against insurance fraud.[43][46] Patronis advanced policies supporting first responders, including legislation for firefighter cancer sick leave benefits and $90,000 in decontamination grants in 2023.[39] In 2024, he allocated $1 million for urban search and rescue training and introduced standards for handling electric vehicle lithium-ion battery fires, addressing hazards exposed during Hurricane Ian.[42][43] These measures, part of his "Florida Fights for Freedom" priorities, emphasized fiscal transparency and protection from federal overreach, such as creating a state Tax Advocate to counter IRS actions.[43]