Now that former Matt Gaetz has resigned, who wants his old seat?

On November 25, 2024By Pranco

Now that former Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz has resigned from his seat in northwest Florida, there is a lot of interest in replacing him. Who are the potential candidates? And will Gaetz’s seat really be empty when the new Congress returns?

President-elect Donald Trump nominated Gaetz as U.S. attorney general, but the congressman withdrew from consideration amid calls for the House of Representatives to release the findings of a sex trafficking investigation centered on Gaetz.

After just eight days as a nominee, during which Gaetz met with senators who would decide his fate, he wrote on the Trump summit. /Vance transition.”

Gaetz cannot legally withdraw his resignation from the 118th Congress, but it is unclear whether he could join the 119th Congress, to which he was elected this month. But on Friday, Gaetz told conservative commentator Charlie Kirk that he has no plans to do so.

There are a number of people interested. Republican Rep. Michelle Salzman of Escambia County has already thrown her hat into the ring.

“There were hundreds of documented cases of physical abuse, torture, rape and death – but the school remained open,” Salzman said.

Salzman sponsored a new law that provides money to surviving victims of the Dozier School for Boys, a state reform school that is now closed. The measure allocates $20 million to be distributed to survivors who apply for compensation. It took years. The survivors are known as “the White House boys” because the atrocities took place in a small white building on the Dozier campus. Here’s Salzman:

“As I listened to the testimonies of these victims, as I watched these documentaries, the heat came over me, my face turned red, my throat swelled, my stomach churned – and I smell the smell of that room, she said. “I can still smell it.”

Salzman also sponsored proposals to impose term limits on Florida county commissioners — a measure that failed — and another to combat human trafficking, which succeeded. That measure would require the Department of Children and Families to increase oversight of safe houses for adults and tighten standards for hotels and motels where human trafficking may be taking place.

“It creates standards for adult safe homes by requiring certification for adult safe home providers,” Salzman said. “It provides age-appropriate education and public awareness in select homes, and it creates enforcement standards for hotel training and signage.”

Meanwhile, another prominent Republican is also considering running for Gaetz’s old job. Jimmy Patronis, Florida’s Chief Financial Officer and State Fire Marshal, wrote on X on Tuesday: “I am strongly considering running for Florida Congressional District 1. We have a historic opportunity to fight the swamp, end the rule of law and to return power to the state. hands of Americans.”

Patronis, a former lawmaker from Panama City, is facing term limits and has expressed interest in running for governor. As CFO, he champions the My Safe Florida Home program, which shows that insurance premiums drop when homes are protected from storm damage. After this year’s Hurricanes Helene and Milton, he warned Florida residents who suffered such damage not to fall for scams and asked them to route such offers through his office.

“In some cases you have quality contractors who work on reasonable terms and provide an estimate,” Patronis says. “In other cases, someone knocks on your door and notices you have roof damage. Asked you to sign a contract – and now they’ve taken your benefits. And that’s predatory.”

As state fire chief, Patronis has become an advocate for firefighters. He supports legislation that would provide benefits to firefighters with cancer, an occupational hazard. He understands what motivates them and what brings them down.

“A three-year-old child had entered a retention pond in Palm Beach County in 2017,” Patronis said. “And all I could think about was: the child didn’t make it and a care worker had to leave. out and wade into the retention pond to grab this kid. And someone had to tell the mom and dad that they will never hug their little baby again.”

The special election primary to fill Gaetz’s seat will take place on January 28, 2025, with the general election on April 1.