A Donald Trump-backed Republican who is expected to replace former Congressman Matt Gaetz in Florida owns a restaurant that was told to take action over health warnings, according to data from the state's business regulator.
Jimmy Patronis, a former state legislator from Panama City who is currently Florida's chief financial officer, is running in Florida's 1st congressional district's special election on April 1. The ballot is to fill a seat previously held by Gaetz, who announced he would not seek reelection after withdrawing from consideration to be attorney general amid sexual misconduct allegations, which he denies.
President Trump gave his endorsement to Patronis in November 2024, even before he had joined the race, calling him: "A fourth generation Floridian from the beautiful Panhandle, and owner of an iconic seafood restaurant, Jimmy has been a wonderful friend to me, and to MAGA."
The restaurant, Capt. Anderson's, was issued a warning for eight violations during an inspection on July 10, 2024, and quickly addressed them, according to health inspection data from Florida's Department of Business & Professional Regulation Division of Hotels and Restaurants compiled by the Panama City News Herald. Newsweek could not independently verify the data.
Newsweek contacted the Division of Hotel and Restaurants and Capt. Anderson's by email for comment. Patronis' campaign referred Newsweek to Capt. Anderson's.
The July 2024 inspector's note for Capt. Anderson's reprimanded the restaurant for issues ranging from "basic" to "high priority," including not covering an item of food, not cooking some seafood to a sufficient internal temperature and improperly storing raw food separate from ready-to-eat food, according to the data.
Of the eight violations, seven were corrected on-site and two marked as repeat violations. Seven days later, when the restaurant was inspected again on July 17, 2024, it complied with the previous report and had no violations.
It was not the only time the restaurant was issued warnings, per the data. In September 2022 inspectors found the restaurant liable for seven violations ranging from basic to high priority, including "live, small flying insects in kitchen."
Four violations were found in July 2021 and seven were found in May 2020. In April 2019, inspectors found nine violations. They found 10 in June 2018 and eight in May 2016. On each occasion the violations again ranged from basic to high priority.
The restaurant was founded by Patronis' late father and uncle in 1967.
In the special election, Patronis will face gun violence prevention activist Gay Valimont, who won her Democratic primary unopposed. Gaetz took nearly twice as many votes as Valimont in the election last November and Patronis is widely expected to win the seat.
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