In the News
ICYMI: Jimmy Patronis Admits to Republican Gerrymandering
Today, Florida’s outgoing Chief Financial Officer, Jimmy Patronis, admitted to Republican gerrymandering of congressional districts in Florida — an act explicitly forbidden by Article III, Section 20 of the Florida Constitution. Patronis is currently running to replace disgraced former Congressman Matt Gaetz in Florida’s 1st Congressional District, despite living outside the district.
“Jimmy Patronis is a talentless carpetbagger who has always gotten by on his family’s money and reputation,” said FDP Chair Nikki Fried. “Now, he finally said the quiet part out loud — admitting that Republicans have spent decades illegally gerrymandering our congressional districts to squeeze out every seat they can.
“Jimmy was willing to throw his entire party under the bus to cover for the fact that he’s running to represent an area where he’s never lived — Panama City hasn’t been part of CD 1 in nearly 30 years. Floridians should be outraged that Republicans have taken away their voices for political gain, and the people of CD 1 should see that Jimmy Patronis is a clueless outsider who has neither the skill nor the knowledge to represent them in Congress.”
READ MORE: Jimmy Patronis points to partisan gerrymandering as only reason he doesn’t live in CD 1
- Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis said he doesn’t live in Florida’s 1st Congressional District because of partisan gerrymandering.
- “Let me give you a little civics lesson. Do you know why District 1 is where it is?” Patronis said at the Niceville debate. “It’s because a Republican Legislature is in charge right now, and this is what we’ve done since Daniel Webster was Speaker of the House as a Republican. We try to create as many Republican congressional seats as possible, okay? So what happens is you get gerrymandered lines.”
- The Panama City Republican has faced criticism from opponents because he does not live in the Pensacola-centered district.
- …notably, the Republican Legislature in the early 2000s wasn’t bound by the Fair District Amendment, which was passed by Florida voters in 2010. That amendment prohibits the drawing of congressional lines to advantage or disadvantage any political party.
- “I’m glad Jimmy Patronis agrees that the current congressional map is gerrymandered,” said Matt Isbell, of MCI Maps. “However, CD 1 is the least gerrymandered district in the state. It simply cannot include Panama City because then the district would have too many people. Any effort to put Panama City into CD 1 would itself be a gerrymander. The fact is Panama City has not been in CD 1 for decades thanks to population growth in west Florida — not a fictionalized version of redistricting.”