TALLAHASSEE, Fla — Florida has gone more than six months without an appointee for its Chief Financial Officer, and the delay in naming a replacement is drawing criticism, including from the man who last held the job.
Rep. Jimmy Patronis (R-FL1), who announced his intentions in November and formally resigned at the end of March to run for Congress, is now publicly urging Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) to appoint a new CFO, warning of a growing leadership vacuum in one of the state’s most important offices.
Watch full report from Forrest Saunders
“Without a CFO in place, who in the hell is doing the business of the people?” Patronis said during a recent appearance with former Rep. Matt Gaetz. “You need a CFO to make sure that the people's dollars are being watched.”
Patronis has since taken his seat in Congress representing Florida’s 1st District, but says he remains concerned about what’s happening in Tallahassee. He warns the absence of a permanent CFO could lead to a talent drain in the department.
“Employees... start to go find jobs elsewhere. The staff starts to look toward retirement. People move on,” Patronis told us this week.
Governor DeSantis has defended the delay, explaining that he wanted to wait until the legislative session and the state’s budget negotiations concluded. Lawmakers are still working out the minutiae of the final spending plan, which is now more than a month past its original due date of May 2.
“Obviously, dust is still settling,” DeSantis said last month. “There’s still work to be done… but [the appointment] will happen relatively soon.”
Still, the state’s top financial post—which also includes roles like insurance oversight and fire marshal—remains vacant. Political insiders say DeSantis may choose between two Republican state senators: Blaise Ingoglia, favored by the governor, and Joe Gruters, backed by President Donald Trump and Florida House Speaker Danny Perez.
Whoever is appointed will serve the remainder of the current term and would need to run for election in 2026—setting up a potentially heated GOP primary.
Meanwhile, Florida is also without a lieutenant governor following Jeanette Nuñez’s departure earlier this year to become president of Florida International University. With two major appointments pending, political observers are watching closely, anticipating moves that could shape the 2026 midterm landscape, especially the race for governor.
Pasco County woman trying to rebuild mobile home after hurricanes
"I cried, of course, because I've worked very hard getting it nice, which has been difficult for me since I lost my husband and being alone,” Kelly Welty said.
Welty's mobile home lost its roof during Hurricane Milton. She said it was the only one in the Buena Vista community to get totaled by a tornado.
