Now that Matt Gaetz has resigned from his Northwest Florida House seat, there’s 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 for U.S. Attorney General, but the congressman withdrew from consideration amid calls for the House to release the findings of a sex trafficking investigation involving Gaetz.
After just eight days as the nominee, during which Gaetz met with senators who would decide his fate, he wrote on X: “While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition.”
Gaetz can’t legally rescind his resignation from the 118th Congress, but it was unclear whether he could join the 119th Congress, to which he was elected this month. But on Friday, Gaetz told conservative commentator Charlie Kirk he doesn't plan to do that.
The primary in the special election to fill Gaetz’s seat will be on Jan. 28, and the general election on April 1. Monday is the deadline for elected officials to submit resignations if they intend to run. The district is made up of all or parts of Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa and Walton counties.
A number of people are interested.
Republican Rep. Michelle Salzman of Escambia County has already thrown her hat into the ring.
Salzman sponsored a new law that provides money for surviving victims of the Dozier School for Boys, a state reform school that is now closed. The measure appropriates $20 million to be divided among survivors who apply for compensation. It has taken years to pass. 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:
“There were hundreds of cases of documented physical assault, torture, rape and death - but the school remained open,” Salzman said.
“As I listened to the testimony from these victims, as I watch these documentaries, the heat just came over me, my face got flushed, my throat swelling up, my stomach is turning - and I can smell the smell of that room," she said. "I can still smell it.”
Salzman also sponsored proposals to impose term limits on Florida’s county commissioners - a measure that failed --and another to combat human trafficking, which succeeded. That measure would require the state Department of Children & Families to conduct more oversight of adult safe homes and tighten standards for hotels and motels where trafficking may be taking place.
“It creates adult safe house standards in requiring certification for providers of adult safe houses," said Salzman. "It provides for age-appropriate education and public awareness at certain homes, and it creates enforcement standards for hotel training and signage.”
Another prominent Republican considering a run is Jimmy Patronis, Florida’s chief financial officer and state fire marshal. He wrote on X on Tuesday: “I am strongly considering running for Florida Congressional District 1. We’ve got an historic opportunity to fight the swamp, end lawfare and return power back into the hands of Americans.”
Patronis, a former legislator from Panama City, is facing term limits and has shown interest in running for governor. As CFO, he’s championed the My Safe Florida Home program, showing that insurance premiums drop when homes are hardened against storm damage. Following this year’s hurricanes Helene and Milton, he warned Floridians who have sustained such damage not to fall for scams and asked them to clear such offers through his office.
“In some cases you’ve got quality contractors out there that work with a reasonable set of terms and provide an estimate," said Patronis. "In other cases, you have somebody knocking on your door, noticing you’ve got roof damage, asked you to sign a contract - and now they have taken over your benefits. And that’s predatory.”
As state fire marshal, Patronis has become an advocate for firefighters. He’s backed legislation that provides benefits for firefighters with cancer, an occupational hazard. He understands what motivates them and what brings them down.
“A 3-year-old child had entered into a retention pond back in 2017 in Palm Beach County," Patronis said. "And all I could think about is: The child didn’t make it, and some first responder had to go out there and wade into the retention pond to grab this child. And somebody had to go and tell the mom and dad they’re never going to hug their little baby ever again.”
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