Jimmy Patronis, Florida’s chief financial officer, turned the tables on Sheldon Whitehouse, one of Rhode Island’s U.S. senators, on Wednesday.
In a letter to Whitehouse, Patronis said he found the Democratic senator’s requests in November and March for information about Citizens Property Insurance Corp. “especially alarming” in light of an ethics complaint by conservative foundation Judicial Watch asserting that Whitehouse voted for environmental projects that financially benefitted his wife’s consulting business.
Patronis, who oversees the Florida Department of Insurance Regulation, then requested all documents and text messages between Whitehouse and his wife, Sandra Whitehouse “regarding Citizens Property Insurance Corp.” It is not clear whether such documents or texts exist.
Patronis also requested a waiver of “all associated fees for this records request.”
Judicial Watch routinely targets Democrats and members of the Biden Administration with lawsuits and Freedom of Information Act requests, and then posts stories about the requests on its website.
Former President Trump, meanwhile, is routinely defended by Judicial Watch and its president Tom Fitton.
In his email announcing his records request to Whitehouse, Patronis referenced Judicial Watch’s complaint urging the Senate Ethics Committee to investigate, according to Patronis, “potential conflicts of interest connected to his wife, Sandra Whitehouse’s consulting business.”
Judicial Watch’s complaint stems from votes by Whitehouse on bills that funded environmental projects and allegedly benefited companies that hired Sandra Whitehouse’ consulting firm, Ocean Wonks LLC since 2009, according to the conservative National Review website.
As examples, the National Review wrote out that Whitehouse “pushed” the Department of Transportation during President Obama’s term to approve a $22.3 million grant for offshore wind company Deepwater Wind. The company “reportedly” hired Sandra Whitehouse less than three weeks after her husband “pushed for” the grant, the website said, adding that Whitehouse’s office denied the hiring took place.
The National Review also referenced a report by Influence Watch, a website that monitors non-profits and liberal donors, stating that Ocean Conservancy, a D.C.-based nonprofit, has paid Sandra Whitehouse $2.6 million since 2009. Judicial Watch’s complaint asserts that the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act allocated $1.4 million for an ocean exploration program that “directly benefits Ocean Conservancy.”
A spokesperson for Whitehouse dismissed Judicial Watch’s complaint by calling it “the latest in a long string of erroneous conspiracy theories peddled by the dark-money Judicial Watch, going back to the group’s claims that Vince Foster (a White House lawyer during the Clinton years) was murdered,” the New York Post reported.
No evidence has turned up to refute conclusions that Foster committed suicide in 1993.
Whitehouse has filed his own ethics complaints against conservative figures.
In September, he demanded that John Roberts, Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, investigate comments made by Justice Samuel Alito to the Wall Street Journal the previous July asserting that Congress has no authority to regulate the Supreme Court.
Those comments, Whitehouse said, appeared directed at legislation he authored that would have imposed ethical standards on members of the Supreme Court.
Whitehouse landed on Patronis’ radar last November when he sent a letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis, Insurance Commissioner Michael Yaworksky and Citizens CEO Tim Cerio demanding documents and information detailing plans by Citizens to address increased underwriting costs from climate-related weather events and “other disasters.”
Whitehouse characterized the request as part of an ongoing investigation into effects of climate change by the Senate Budget Committee, which he chairs.
Cerio responded in December with a letter saying state law requires Citizens to impose surcharges and special assessments on policyholders to cover any claims-paying shortfalls.
Cerio’s letter also pointed out that “neither Citizens, its predecessor entities, nor the State of Florida, have ever sought a federal bailout to cover hurricane losses.”
But Whitehouse sent another letter in March to Cerio, “renewing” requests for documents and information and saying the CEO “failed to cooperate” with the investigation he announced in November.
Cerio responded to Whitehouse’s March letter on April 12 with a seven-page letter detailing improvements in the private marketplace, including approval by insurance regulators of eight new insurers, and Citizens’ depopulation efforts that shifted nearly 400,000 policyholders to private companies since January 1, 2023.
The letter also states that Citizens’ latest disaster modeling “does take into account the most recent climate trends.”
In his own record request to Whitehouse, Patronis called himself “a trustee over Citizens.” Patronis appoints two members of Citizens’ nine-member Board of Governors. The governor, speaker of the state House and president of the state Senate appoint the rest.
“If the senator is using his position to advance policies that allegedly funnel business to his wife’s consulting firm, this is not only a violation of Senate ethics and rules, but it undermines the reputation of Citizens, hinders their effectiveness in serving their customers, and puts policyholders in jeopardy,” Patronis’ request said.
Asked by the South Florida Sun Sentinel what Patronis believes Sheldon Whitehouse and his wife can do to “undermine” Citizen’s reputation, hinder its effectiveness and put Florida policyholders in jeopardy, Patronis’ spokesman Devin Galetta had this to say:
“The CFO wants Citizens focused on helping Florida policyholders, nothing else. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the senator from Rhode Island is stirring the pot to get his wife lobbying work, or score some political points with left-wing extremists. Either way, he should take his circus elsewhere. It’s gross. That’s why we responded; transparency is the best disinfectant.”
Whitehouse’s press secretary did not respond to emails seeking comment about Patronis’ letter on Wednesday.
Ron Hurtibise covers business and consumer issues for the South Florida Sun Sentinel. He can be reached by phone at 954-356-4071, on Twitter @ronhurtibise or by email at rhurtibise@sunsentinel.com.