TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Florida Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis issued the following statement recognizing Thursday, January 25, 2024, as NASA Day of Remembrance and honoring the brave men and women of Apollo 1, Challenger, and Columbia who lost their lives in the effort to expand America’s influence in space. This year will also mark the 55th anniversary of the Apollo 1 tragedy and the fifth anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Space Force.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis issued a statement following reports that federal agencies are asking financial institutions to search and flag Americans transactions if they used terms like “MAGA” or “Trump” or shopped at Dick’s Sporting Goods, Cabela’s or Bass Pro. The CFO is working with Legislators to propose new legislation to fight back against this federal overreach. To view the CFO’s thread on X, click HERE.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis announced his 2024 ‘Florida Fights for Freedom’ Legislative priorities. Among the CFO’s priorities are fighting back against the IRS, protecting first responders from the dangers of EV fires, supporting policyholders, safeguarding cryptocurrency assets, and barring state agencies from contracting with censorship companies like NewsGuard.

Today, Florida Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis hosted the ‘Ringing of the Bell’ ceremony to honor Florida’s fallen firefighters. During the ceremony, 16 fallen firefighters were honored as their names were inscribed on the Florida Fallen Firefighter Memorial in The Florida Capitol Courtyard. The CFO was joined by families of the fallen firefighters, Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, Florida Legislators, local elected officials, and members of the Florida fire service community.

Today, Florida Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis announced the filing of SB 1740 by Senator Ileana Garcia, which creates the Florida Freedom Fighters Fund. The fund would provide up to $5 million in financial support to Florida residents running for President who face legal, partisan, political attacks by the Department of Justice or State Attorneys.

Today, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis announced that 117 banks in Florida signed the attestation agreeing not to politically discriminate, thereby designating as Qualified Public Depositories (QPD), which are banks who are legally allowed to accept public dollars which include state or local government funds. This follows the signing of House Bill 3 into law last year which works to prevent the qualification of a bank as a QPD, if they are engaged in any “unsafe and unsound practices” of canceling its services based on personal beliefs whether it be political, religious or any other factor that shows impartiality. QPDs will have to certify that they are in total compliance with the requirements of the bill. To view a full listing of QPDs, click HERE. Additionally, to submit a complaint, click HERE.

CFO Patronis Legislative Update for January 18, 2024

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis issued a statement in support of Senate Bill 460 by Senator Corey Simon. This legislation among many things would recruit students to trades, such as construction and would lower the age requirements for those who wish to work in construction-type jobs. The Bill was reported favorable by the Florida Senate’s Pre-K-12 Education committee on Wednesday.

Following the impacts of the powerful storm and tornados that hit the Florida Panhandle last week, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis is urging Bay County residents to visit the Department of Financial Services (DFS) Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) where consumers can connect with team members from the DFS Division of Consumer Services and receive assistance on their insurance claims. Storm victims can find additional resources at PrepareFL.com which serves as a one-stop-shop for disaster information and resources to help Floridians recover quickly following a storm. CFO Patronis is also warning consumers to beware of contractors asking for cash for repairs and always require contractors to show proof of insurance prior to beginning the job.

CFO Patronis Legislative Update for January 16, 2024

Today, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis is warning consumers to beware of purchasing Amazon’s lithium-ion replacement battery packs for Dyson vacuum cleaners. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Zautnkn.Inc lithium-ion replacement battery packs, which are sold on Amazon, pose a risk of fire to consumers. The ZAUTNKN.INC batteries are not a Dyson or Dyson-authorized product and there has been reports of three fires associated with these batteries. A few weeks ago, the CFO announced the filing of a priority bill, House Bill 989 and Senate Bill 1098, which establishes safety standards to prevent lithium-ion battery fires and other issues with energy storage systems.

Today, CFO and State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis traveled to Panama City to survey damage from the severe weather event and help coordinate response efforts. The CFO participated in a press conference with Bay County officials where they discussed post-storm damage. The following is a transcript of his remarks.

Today, CFO and State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis reminds Floridians of the importance of using gas-powered generators safely during and after the severe weather event that’s making its way across the Florida Panhandle.

Today, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis is urging Floridians to make preparations to homes and property ahead of the severe weather event that is expected to bring damaging winds, possible tornadoes and coastal flooding to the Florida Panhandle, Nature Coast and Northeast Florida, starting as early as tonight. Floridians are encouraged to follow the tips below and visit PrepareFL.com to plan accordingly for the impending storm.

Today, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis announced his support of the filing of Senate Bill 1030 and House Bill 1001 that will provide counties with the authority to provide tax breaks for small local businesses by allowing local governments to forgo the collection of their business rent taxes. The proposed legislation would give small businesses additional tax relief and allow local governments to exercise better fiscal responsibility of taxpayer dollars.

Today, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis announced that more than $33 million in unclaimed property was returned to Floridians during the month of December. Since CFO Patronis took office in 2017, more than $2.2 billion in unclaimed property has been returned to Florida citizens.

Today, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis is urging Floridians to take advantage of the 2023-2024 Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday, which began Monday, January 1, 2024, and ends on Sunday, January 14, 2024.