While Florida Prepared for Hurricane Dorian, Patronis Was Off Fundraising in NYC

Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis has been under scrutiny for months and facing calls for ethics investigations for his releasing of harassment complaints and allegations of pay-to-play corruption. Yet now, Patronis faces new criticism for skipping out on a cabinet briefing at Florida’s Emergency Operations Center because he was too busy raising money in New York.

Terrie Rizzo, chair of the Florida Democratic Party, slammed Patronis’s reckless actions:

“Instead of doing his duty to the state of Florida as we all prepared for a potentially dangerous storm, Patronis was busy cashing checks in New York City. The office of the CFO is designed to protect Floridians, yet Patronis walked off the job as Dorian was heading to the East Coast to go to a fundraiser. This is not leadership, and the citizens of Florida deserve better.”

On Twitter, Patronis was chastised by former FDP communications director and Obama campaign staffer Eric Jotkoff who called on Patronis to resign and FDP Executive Director Juan Peñalosa questioned the CFO’s priorities. Alex Morash, FDP’s press secretary, posted on Twitter that this came from someone already under investigation.