Statement from Florida DNC Members Denouncing CFO Jimmy Patronis's Racist Questions

The fourteen Florida DNC Members, released the following statement to formally denounce CFO Jimmy Patronis’s racist questions during a June meeting of the Clemency Board:

“The purpose of the Clemency Board is to return voting rights to Floridians who have served their fair time in ​prison.

“Jimmy Patronis’s line of questioning was derogatory, unnecessary, and unrelated to the subject at hand. To make matters worse, instead of apologizing for his blatantly racist remarks, Patronis has doubled down by insisting that his questions were not inherently racist. However, the nature of the questions, the fact that they were directed towards an African-American man, and their irrelevance towards whether clemency should be awarded paint an entirely different story.

“Sadly, prominent Florida Republicans have failed to denounce Patronis’s questions and are even defending him. Leading the defense of racism in Florida is Attorney General Pam Bondi who claimed that Patronis asked “nice questions.” It is appalling to us that Florida Republicans would support something like this. As elected officials, it is their duty to serve and protect all Floridians.

“Unlike our Republican counterparts, the Democratic National Committee and our Democratic elected officials work everyday to protect Floridians. We will not condone this type of behavior by a Florida elected official and encourage all elected officials, Democrat and Republican, to join us in denouncing this latest example of racism in our great state of Florida.”

Florida’s DNC Members:
Nikki Barnes
Dwight Bullard
Cynthia Busch
Grace Carrington
Alan Clendenin
Ken Evans
Alma R. Gonzalez, Esq.
Shawn Kinsey
Maureen McKenna
Judy Mount
John A. Ramos
​Terrie Rizzo​
​Casmore Shaw​
Craig Smith