Last week, state Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis held a video conference with the local chambers of commerce to give insight on issues including COVID-19 response and recovery, business liability protections and the state of Florida’s fiscal health and economy.
Patronis served on the Executive Committee of Governor Ron DeSantis’s Re-Open Florida Task Force.
“I was glad to join the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce today to discuss important issues impacting our state and the Northeast Florida business community” Patronis said after meeting with the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce. “As we work to safely re-open Florida, and as a former small business owner myself, I’m committed to supporting Florida’s small businesses. Today, I discussed my pursuit of vital legislation next year to take away incentives for lawyers to engage in predatory ‘sue and settle’ tactics and shield our small businesses from liability for COVID-19 related claims. We must not allow our state’s recovery to be derailed by the constant threat of lawsuits that will put people out of business and inevitably jack up insurance rates for people who are trying to make an honest living.
“It was great to hear directly from local Chamber leadership today and address their questions and concerns related to COVID-19 recovery. Thank you to the entire team at the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce for working tirelessly to help us build a better, stronger Florida,” Patronis added.
Patronis followed up that meeting with events later in the week. On Thursday, he spoke with the Tampa and the Daytona Beach Chambers of Commerce on the same topics. On Friday, Patronis spoke with the Pensacola Chamber of Commerce.