politics Archive

U.S. Rep. Jimmy Patronis says the job is more fun than he expected.

Fifteen months into a congressional career that began with an April 2025 special election, the Panama City native has a theory about why Washington has been friendlier to him than advertised: Half of Congress already loves his district.

“You’ve got all these members of Congress from Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas. They all vacation in Northwest Florida,” Patronis said. “We’re their closest beaches. For me, being a product of the hospitality industry, I love to entertain.”

Whether that’s enough for voters is the question on Aug. 18. Patronis, 54, faces former Army Green Beret John Frankman and Navy veteran Doug Chico in the Republican primary. Waiting in November is Democrat Gay Valimont, who lost to Patronis by 9 percentage points in the April 2025 special election but carried Escambia County.

Patronis has endorsements from President Donald Trump for the second straight election cycle. On July 6, Patronis also secured endorsements from all four sheriffs in the district.

A new bill introduced by Congressman Jimmy Patronis would protect seaports from unauthorized drone flights.

With the June 12 deadline passed, the list of candidates running for office in Santa Rosa County during the August primary has been set.

For the first time in nearly two years, Matt Gaetz is once again a public official after being nominated to serve on the Triumph Gulf Coast Board of Directors, beginning July 1.

Florida Lt. Gov. Jay Collins launched what he called his “Come and Take It” tour on June 16 during a campaign stop at Gray Man Armory in Milton, saying that he will push to repeal Florida’s red flag laws, lift a bump stock ban lower the age for firearm purchases to 18-to-20-year-olds.

Paul Renner, the former speaker of the Florida House and current gubernatorial candidate, made a campaign stop in Pace on June 1, pitching himself as the candidate best positioned to lower property taxes, rein in utility costs and take on out-of-state-interests.

Incumbent County Commissioner Kerry Smith didn’t qualify for the 2026 ballot based on petitions and now must pay $5,460.06 to stay in the race for Commission District 2.
Smith, along with fellow District 2 candidates Michael Rinaldi and Shawn Kay, failed to garner the required number of petitions by the May 11 deadline.

The Santa Rosa County Commission voted to approve a contract for school zone speed cameras, brushing aside privacy concerns raised during public comment over AI-powered surveillance tied to the deal.

The contract, requested jointly by the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office and Santa Rosa County District Schools, is with Maryland-based company Altumint, a speed camera provider that will install enforcement cameras in 15 school zones across the county.

Four years after narrowly losing to Kerry Smith for the District 2 Santa Rosa County Commission seat, Jeff Ates IV is back. This go round, he is facing seven other candidates, including Smith.
Ates is a lifelong East Milton resident and ran a dirt pit in the area for around 25 years. The pit has supplied dirt and other earthworks for projects across Santa Rosa County. He also managed hunting land in the 1980s and 1990s and currently consults for North American IPS, LLC.

State Rep. Nathan Boyles, R-Baker, is wrapping up what he calls his first full legislative session in Tallahassee, and the freshman Republican said the biggest adjustment has been learning how to move policy in a chamber with far more colleagues — and competing interests — than the Okaloosa County Commission he came from.