President-elect Donald Trump backs CFO Jimmy Patronis for Congressional District 1
President-elect Donald Trump on Monday endorsed Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis for the congressional seat recently vacated by Matt Gaetz.
On cue, Patronis turned in his notice of resignation later in the day.
Monday is the deadline for Florida elected officials to resign to run for the open seat, according to a timeline released by the Florida Department of State.
“As your next Congressman, Jimmy would work tirelessly alongside of me to Grow our Economy, Secure our Border, Stop Migrant Crime, Strengthen our Incredible Military/Vets, Restore American Energy DOMINANCE, and Defend our always under siege Second Amendment,” Trump posted on the social media site he owns, Truth Social.
“Should he decide to enter this Race, Jimmy Patronis has my Complete and Total Endorsement. RUN, JIMMY, RUN!” he added.
Patronis, 52, seemed to accept in an X post later: "Put me to work, Mr. President! @realDonaldTrump I am here to serve," he wrote, adding a salute emoji at the end.
In his letter, he made it clear: "I hereby irrevocably resign as CFO effective March 31, 2025."
He added: "It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as Florida's CFO for nearly eight years. ... The best part is, we are just getting started. I know Florida is on a roll and it is only the beginning under the new federal leadership of President Elect Donald Trump."
Patronis, a former Florida House member, has served as CFO since 2017, when then-Gov. Rick Scott chose him to replace Jeff Atwater, who left the post for a position at Florida Atlantic University. Patronis won election in 2018 and was reelected in 2022.
With his resignation confirmed, Gov. Ron DeSantis will be able to appoint Patronis' replacement.
Patronis is from Panama City, which isn't part of the district. Under the U.S. Constitution, however, candidates aren't required to live in the U.S. House district in which they run as long as they are a resident of the state.
Before the Trump endorsement, other Republicans had stated their intention to run for the heavily GOP district, including GOP state Reps. Michelle Salzman and Joel Rudman and former U.S. Senate candidate Keith Gross.
On Monday afternoon, however, Salzman posted on X, "Politics is an ever-changing chessboard. Our first priority as elected officials should be our constituents. If we put them first, we all win! Jimmy has been endorsed by the leader of our party and that should be enough for us to get behind him. Congratulations @JimmyPatronis"
Rudman, on the other hand, tendered his resignation letter to House Speaker Daniel Perez, saying he was running for CD 1.
Though the resignation, effective Jan. 1, came with a protest: "This resignation is required by an archaic statute that, in my opinion, needs to be changed," he said, adding in an X post, "... The good people here deserve a strong field of candidates and a robust Republican debate, not a coronation. I’m in."
Under Florida law, a sitting official must resign their current seat to run for another office, if that office’s term will coincide with their existing position’s term. The effective date of the resignation must be by the time their prospective new term would begin.
Gaetz resigned the seat earlier this month when Trump picked him to be U.S. Attorney General in his new administration. He later withdrew his nomination.
Gaetz has antagonized some Republican senators who would have considered his confirmation, and he was the subject of an investigation by a House ethics panel with a report detailing allegations he had sex with an underage girl that was ultimately not released.
Trump has since named former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi as his next nominee, but Gaetz’s resignation from Congress still stands. He said he wouldn’t take office when the next Congress is sworn in, despite winning reelection to the House earlier this month.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
Gray Rohrer is a reporter with the Paste BN Network-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at grohrer@gannett.com. Follow him on X: @GrayRohrer.