Congressman Patronis Talks Storm Prep, Data Centers, Blue Angels Fallout In Local Interview

Florida Congressman Jimmy Patronis touched on a wide range of topics in an interview on Pensacola's Morning News with host Andrew McKay, from storm preparedness tips to the ongoing local fight over data center moratoriums.

With a tropical system moving along the Gulf Coast, Patronis, a former Florida Chief Financial Officer with an insurance background, urged residents to take a simple precaution before any storm damage happens.

"Take your smartphone. Go film the outside of your house," Patronis said. "Get a photo evidence that there's no trees or any damage to your house, and then do the same thing inside... Take those videos, email them to yourself."

Patronis said the footage can speed up insurance claims and help homeowners remember belongings they might otherwise forget to list after a loss.

The congressman also weighed in on the data center moratoriums moving through local governments, with Santa Rosa County and Pensacola both passing one-year pauses on large-scale centers and Escambia County expected to take up the issue soon. Patronis tied the local debate to national competition with China, while also drawing a hard line of his own.

"I can't support data centers if it's going to increase utility rates in the local folk," Patronis said, adding that centers belong in areas that already have infrastructure like transmission lines.

Patronis was also at Friday night's Blue Angels reception at the Hilton, where he spoke briefly with pilot Blue Angel Number Three following the pilot's decision to sit out three shows. He said the attention brought to the incident may have ended up boosting the team's exposure heading into upcoming shows in other cities.

Patronis, who voted for the Daylight-Saving Time Act that passed the House with bipartisan support, said the bill now heads to the Senate, where its future remains uncertain.