Jimmy Patronis
| Jimmy Patronis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 6th district | |
|
In office January 2, 2015 – November 18, 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Allan Bense |
| Succeeded by | Jay Trumbull |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
April 13, 1972 Panama City, Florida |
| Political party | Republican |
| Alma mater |
Gulf Coast Community College (A.A.) Florida State University (B.S.) |
| Profession | Restaurateur |
| Religion | Greek Orthodox |
Jimmy Patronis (born on April 13, 1972) was a Republican member of the Florida House of Representatives who represented the 6th District, which included Panama City and other parts of southern Bay County, from 2006 to 2014.
History
Patronis was born in Panama City and attended Gulf Coast Community College, where he graduated with his associate degree in restaurant management in 1994, and then he attended Florida State University, where he graduated with his bachelor degree in political science in 1996. After graduation, he worked as an intern in the Florida Senate and the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. In 1998, he was appointed by Governor Lawton Chiles to the Florida Elections Commission and again in 2001 by Governor Jeb Bush where he served until 2003. Patronis also served on the Bay County Airport Authority from 2004 to 2006, when he first ran for office.
Florida House of Representatives
Following the inability of Allan Bense, the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, to seek re-election in 2006, Patronis ran to succeed him in the 6th District, which included Gulf County, southern Bay County, and western Franklin County. In the Republican primary, Patronis emerged victorious, defeating Lee Sullivan, Cameron Floyd Skinner, and Bill Fisher with 39% of the vote. In the general election, Patronis defeated Democratic nominee Janice Lucas with 67% of the vote. He was re-elected without opposition in 2008. In 2010, he defeated Democratic nominee John McDonald with 78% of the vote.
In 2012, following the reconfiguration of districts, Patronis remained in the 6th District, but it swapped its portions in Franklin County and Gulf County for a further incursion into Bay County. He was unopposed in both the primary and general elections, and thus was re-elected to his final term unopposed.
During the 2012-2014 legislative session, Patronis worked with State Representative Marti Coley and State Senator Don Gaetz, the other members of the legislature from Bay County to support an effort by the County to "create an irrevocable trust for a hospital pension and a separate measure to allow the county to remove its member on the board managing the pension," though Patronis remained hopeful that a solution could be reached without the legislature having to act.[1]
Patronis intended to run for the Florida Senate in 2016 in the 4th District, as the incumbent, Don Gaetz, is term-limited. He was going to face Gaetz's son, his colleague in the House of Representatives, Matt Gaetz, in the Republican primary, but in 2013, he dropped out of the race, noting that he wanted to spend more time with his family.[2]
References
- ↑ Beaton, Matthew (December 4, 2013). "State reps to tackle hospital problems". Sunshine State News. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
- ↑ Dixon, Matt (July 1, 2013). "Jimmy Patronis gets out of contentious Panhandle state Senate race". Florida Times-Union. Retrieved December 5, 2013.