More than a year after Hurricane Michael hit the Panhandle, state CFO Jimmy Patronis is working with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to make sure the federal government and the state government work better in the future.
On Thursday, Patronis, who is based out of Bay County which was slammed by Hurricane Michael back in October 2018, met with FEMA Acting Administrator Pete Gaynor in Washington D.C. to talk about a host of issues.
Patronis weighed in after the meeting.
“I was proud to meet with FEMA Acting Administrator Peter Gaynor today on issues most critical for Florida, such as flood insurance and hurricane response,” Patronis said. “Serving as our state’s CFO, I’ve seen firsthand the devastating impacts of Hurricanes Irma and Michael, and I know building relationships with our federal partners in Washington is important for the recovery process.”
After eight years in the Florida House and serving on the state Public Service Commission (PSC), Patronis was named to his current post in the summer of 2017 by then Gov. Rick Scott after Jeff Atwater resigned the position to take a job at Florida Atlantic University (FAU). Back in November 2018, Patronis beat former state Sen. Jeremy Ring to win a term in his own right.
Reach Kevin Derby at kevin.derby@floridadaily.com.
