TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — State Rep. Jimmy Patronis is being appointed to the panel that regulates Florida utilities.
Gov. Rick Scott on Thursday appointed Patronis to a Public Service Commission seat that comes open in January. He also reappointed current PSC commissioner Julie Brown to a new term.
Patronis is a Panama City Republican and vice president of Captain Anderson’s Restaurant. He is being forced to leave the Legislature due to term limits.
The five-member commission regulates investor-owned electric, natural gas and water utilities. The job pays $131,036 a year.
The two new appointments are subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate.
Democrat Charlie Crist has been highly critical of the PSC under Scott. He has maintained that Scott has allowed utilities to raise rates with little scrutiny.
When Crist became governor in 2007 he withdrew PSC appointments that had been made by former Gov. Jeb Bush.
