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Chief Financial Officer

The chief financial officer is essentially Florida’s main auditor. They handle a bunch of funds across the state, and any time there’s an account or claim against Florida, they oversee and audit those claims.

They also handle the revenue and trust funds for every state agency and the judicial branch, oversee any insurance fraud investigations, handle unclaimed property claims, manage the state’s retirement plan, and even serve as the state’s fire marshal.

Unless you’re a big wonk about Florida’s finances, securities and bonds this race might not seem that important, but the CFO has their hands in some important parts of the state’s leadership. Most notably, they sit on the clemency board, which is currently the only option for felons to have their voting rights restored. That could change if Amendment 4 is approved.

Democrat Jeremy Ring is running against the incumbent, Republican Jimmy Patronis. Patronis was appointed to the position in June 2017 by Gov. Rick Scott, after Jeff Atwater resigned.

We’ve included information from the candidates’ websites and reporting from the Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times.

Jimmy Patronis is the Republican candidate for Florida chief financial officer. He's running to keep his position.

Jeremy Ring is the Democratic candidate for Florida chief financial officer.