Republican state Rep. Pat Patterson kicked off his campaign Wednesday for state chief financial officer from his hometown of DeLand (pictured below). But to win the office, the 10-year House veteran must first get through Senate President Jeff Atwater, R-North Palm Beach.

One reason to watch Patterson’s campaign is to see who supports him in favor of the sitting Senate president. Not that Atwater necessarily would let a state political race control his chamber’s agenda, but if you’ve got an issue in the legislature (and folks with money do) then its generally best to make friends with the man in charge of half of it.

Another reason to watch Patterson: he’s from Central Florida and right now that seems to be the key to Florida politics: Every statewide office holder right now is from the I-4 corridor (Nelson, Martinez, Crist, Sink, McCollum and Bronson). The last politician not from Central Florida to win a state election was President Barack Obama, a Chicagoan who, it could be argued, still lived closer to the I-4 corridor than Republican nominee John McCain, R-Ariz.

And that geography could play on property insurance issues: Patterson in an interview earlier this summer was quick to point out that 65 percent of Citizens policies are from five counties (including four from South Florida).

Those five counties, he says, pay just 35 percent of the Citizens’ assessment.

“In this I-4 corridor, people are wondering why they’re having to pick up a large part of the cost,” Patterson said.

Patterson said he expects a “gentlemanly” and “good, healthy campaign” between he and Atwater.

“There’s some people who think I’m not 100 percent serious, but I’m darn serious about this one,” said Patterson, who opted to withdrawal from a state Senate race to run against Atwater.

Some might assume that Patterson, an Allstate agent, would be the insurance industry’s candidate of choice in this race. Atwater, after all, put many of the industry’s leaders under oath last year to testify about their rates. And he led the Citizens’ rate freeze that has infuriated many Republicans.

But Atwater has long had friends in the industry.¹ And you won’t have to look hard to find someone within the industry who will express appreciation for Atwater keeping his word to let the rate freeze expire this year.

Plus, Atwater allowed his chamber to approve a bill that would have let the state’s largest insurers offer unregulated rates. Atwater voted against it and Crist ultimately vetoed it, but that legislation was the best thing to come out of the legislature for the industry since 2006, when lawmakers approved SB 1980 (which Atwater supported).

“The primary process is healthy,” Atwater said a few weeks ago. “But it’s so early to tell how it will shape out — I’ve been in a House race with seven candidates in a primary. So, I think it’s a little early.”

But Atwater did seem inclined toward a “gentlemanly” primary, calling Patterson “a quality guy” and saying it was important for a state CFO to have a “good comprehensive understanding of the industry.”

“He certainly seems committed to the quality of work he puts out,” Atwater said.

1. The Palm Beach Post, 04/05/08: Atwater’s tough talk on insurance transforms industry into enemy

Tags: Jeff Atwater, Pat Patterson, Property Insurance, Republican primary

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