TALLAHASSEE, FL – Jimmy Patronis was sworn in on June 30 as Florida’s new chief financial officer in Gov. Rick Scott’s Capitol office. With Gov. Scott present, Chief Justice Jorge Labarga of the Florida Supreme Court administered the oath of office.
Patronis, 45, called the appointment “an incredible honor,” as reported in the Tampa Bay Times. He was accompanied by his wife, Katie, and their two sons, Theo and Johnny. The Panama City restaurateur, former Republican state House member and former member of the Public Service Commission, Patronis is now the state’s fourth CFO. The previous CFO was Jeff Atwater, who resigned after his six-and-a-half years in office for a senior administrative position at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton.
Patronis said as reported in the Tampa Bay Times, “I really look forward to being effective and efficient and keeping up the same standards and values that CFO Atwater has brought to the job. Greater transparency, greater efficiency and attacking fraud in our insurance and just doing what [I] can to ensure that the economy and transparency of our state grows.”
When asked about state Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier’s performance, Patronis said, “That is something I’ll get caught up to speed on” as the Tampa Bay Times reported. He did not mention plans for any changes to the high-level staff, but noted that the cooperation from Atwater’s staff was “incredible,” as the Tampa Bay Times reported. Th CFO’s first Cabinet meeting will take place on August 16.
As reported in the Tampa Bay Times, Patronis will serve through the November 2018 election for a new CFO. He has yet to announce any plans to seek a full four-year term. Though Patronis has no experience as CFO and is not well-known throughout the state in terms of name recognition, the appointment has made him a front-runner for the position. His close association with Gov. Scott is clearly also a benefit for Patronis should he decide to run.
As the Tampa Bay Times reported, Atwater told Gov. Scott, “I believe you made a fantastic choice. This is a man of intellectual strength, curiosity, and a passion for this state.”
At the end of the swearing in ceremony, Patronis, loyal to Florida State University, said as the Tampa Bay Times reported, “The Cabinet’s going to have a Seminole. I’m married to a Gator, though.”
Among the dozen of friends and supporters in attendance at the ceremony, was former Republican state Representative Jim Frishe of Pinellas Park, who served with Patronis for six years in the state House of Representatives.
At the second, more elaborate swearing-in ceremony that followed at the memorial for fallen firefighters in the Capitol courtyard, Patronis took the oath of office with state fire marshal and fire chiefs present. They thanked Atwater for his loyal support of the fire service and presented him with a commemorative chief’s helmet.
The Tampa Bay Times reported that “the chief financial officer is one of three members of the Florida Cabinet and is paid about $129,000 a year. The CFO oversees a staff of about 2,000 full-time employees and a budget of nearly $300 million.”
Patronis is a dedicated Orthodox Christian, and a lifelong member of St. John’s Greek Orthodox Church. The Patronis family business, Captain Anderson’s Restaurant first opened in 1967 and continues to be a success.
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