TALLAHASSEE – Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis is celebrating April as Military Saves Month by encouraging Florida’s active military members and veterans to pay off debt and prepare for the future by creating an achievable savings plan. Military Saves Month is a month-long national effort to encourage the military community to strengthen their financial well-being.
CFO Jimmy Patronis said, “Florida loves its veterans, active-duty service members, and their families, and we owe a great debt to them for fighting to preserve, protect, and defend our county. During Military Saves Month, I am committed to providing resources to help secure a bright financial future for these heroes that call Florida home and ensure that our state remains one of the most military and veteran friendly states in the nation.”
Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs Executive Director and retired Marine Corps Major General James S. “Hammer” Hartsell said, “Financial literacy and awareness of fraudulent schemes targeting our service members and veterans are critical in today’s society. In the past several years, CFO Jimmy Patronis and his team have created several initiatives and resources to help educate our military and veterans’ community on ways to improve their financial well-being. Working together to provide a positive future for Florida veterans and their families, we’ll ensure the Sunshine State continues to be the most veteran sought after state in the nation.”
CFO Patronis has been focused on providing information and tools to help military members build a strong financial foundation and protect against fraud and debt. The CFO’s Financial Frontlines initiative provides information to help families fight against financial frauds and debt with the use of an in-depth Resource Guide. In addition, the Department of Financial Services also offers Serve Save Succeed, a financial literacy resource and online forum for current and former military service members and their families on finance-related topics. Last year, CFO Patronis also advocated for the passage of the Florida Veterans Protection Act, which was signed by Governor DeSantis in 2020. The legislation helps protect veterans by adding the victimization of 10 or more veterans as an aggravated white-collar crime.