CFO Patronis Advances Gold and Silver as Legal Tender in Florida

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Today, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis announced the launch of a study to determine how gold and silver bullion can be used as legal tender in the State of Florida. Currently, gold and silver can be purchased as investment vehicles but cannot be used as money to buy goods and services. CFO Patronis’ groundbreaking study is a major first step toward the potential use of gold and silver as money in the state, and would have the added benefits of being a tax-exempt hedge against inflation and devaluation of the U.S. Dollar, as well as an alternative form of currency to protect Floridians from Central Bank Digital Currencies.

CFO Jimmy Patronis said: “This is an exciting initiative that has the potential for enormous growth in our state. Gold and silver have been trusted assets for thousands of years, and it makes perfect sense to use them as legal tender. I’m launching this study to determine the best way to get it done. I’ve also included in the framework of the study that gold and silver cannot be taxed as property for the purposes of using them as money. Families and businesses don’t need higher taxes; they need innovative solutions to help them grow. This proposal not only does that, but it would also result in protections against monetary failures and abuses, like the Biden-Harris inflation nightmare and attacks on Floridians’ financial freedoms.”

The Florida Department of Financial Services, which CFO Patronis oversees, will manage the study. The primary focus will be the impact of gold and silver bullion — or physical gold and silver in bars, ingots and coins — as a form of currency within the state. Depending on the outcome, gold and silver could eventually serve as an alternative legal tender to Federal Reserve notes, or dollars. This would combat the devastating effects of inflation, as the value of gold and silver typically increases during inflationary periods while the dollar loses purchasing power.

Using gold and silver as money could also create a healthy currency competition that would serve to reduce the harmful effects of any future Central Bank Digital Currency, or similar scheme, as well as ongoing financial abuses like “de-banking,” or dropping law-abiding individuals and businesses from financial institutions for political reasons.

CFO Patronis has also included the following tax-exempt parameters:

• Gold and silver bullion would NOT be characterized as personal property for state taxation or regulatory purposes.
• The purchase or sale of any type or form of bullion would NOT give rise to any state tax liability.
• The exchange of one type or form of legal tender for another type or form of legal tender would NOT give rise to any state tax liability.

The study will also provide options for making gold and silver transactional in Florida, including proposed changes to existing regulations. In addition, the study will explore the numerous private attempts to establish electronic currencies backed by specie legal tender or bullion; the acceptance of gold and silver coins (or digital equivalents) to pay for private debts, taxes, and fees levied by the state or local government; and the history of gold and silver as currency in the United States and document how individual states have used them as a form of money.

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About CFO Jimmy Patronis  
Chief Financial Officer and State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis is a statewide elected official and a member of Florida’s Cabinet who oversees the Department of Financial Services. CFO Patronis works each day to fight insurance fraud, support Florida’s firefighters, and ensure the state’s finances are stable to support economic growth in the state. Follow the activities of the Department on Facebook (FLDFS) and X (@FLDFS).