President-elect Donald Trump on Monday endorsed Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis to fill the congressional seat vacated by former representative. Matt Gaetz, before the CFO has officially announced his run.

Patronis, 52, who has said he is considering a bid for political office, is a staunch Trump loyalist and has previously supported legislation to allocate up to $5 million in Florida taxpayer money to support the president-elect’s legal bills .

“Jimmy, a fourth-generation Floridian from the beautiful Panhandle and owner of an iconic seafood restaurant, has been a wonderful friend to me and to MAGA,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“As your next Member of Congress, Jimmy would work tirelessly with me to grow our economy, secure our border, stop migrant crime, strengthen our incredible military/veterinarians, restore America’s energy DOMINANCE, and defend our ever-beleaguered Second Amendment,” the president said. -chosen one said.

Republican Gaetz, 42, had held Florida’s top congressional district seat since 2017 until he resigned earlier this month when Trump, 78, announced him as his pick for attorney general.

Gaetz ultimately dropped out of contention for AG when it became clear that gaining Senate confirmation would be an uphill battle for him while dealing with a sex scandal. He has denied any wrongdoing.

The former representative then told conservative pundit Charlie Kirk that he does not “intend to run for the 119th Congress” in his former seat.

For now, Gaetz has chosen to cash in on his political fame and open a profile on Cameo, a platform where celebrities offer to make personal videos for people for a price.

Last week, Sunshine State Governor Ron DeSantis announced that a primary for Gaetz’s seat will take place on January 28 and a general election will take place on April 1.

Others like Republican Nathan Nelson, former Green Beret and Army Captain John Frankman, state Rep. Michelle Salzman and Keith Gross have already expressed interest in the seat.

Patronis has been Florida’s CFO since 2017, covering the tail end of the terms of former Governor Rick Scott and current DeSantis.

The State of Florida’s CFO role functions as a mix of treasurer, insurance commissioner, fire chief and comptroller. Patronis is charged with overseeing the payment of state bills, auditing government agencies, and more.

He serves on the governor’s cabinet and is third in the line of succession as governor, after the lieutenant governor and the attorney general.

Last year, Patronis pushed for state legislation for a “Freedom Fighters Fund” to allocate as much as $5 million to “Florida residents running for president who face legal, partisan, political attacks from the department of Justice or state lawyers’. This also applies to Trump, who at one point faced 91 charges in four criminal cases.

“It is in Florida’s best interest to ensure that their champion for president gets a fair shot at the White House without being brought down by some bogus witch hunt,” Patronis said at the time, according to the Washington Post.

Ultimately, DeSantis, 46, knocked down the move.

Patronis has publicly teased that he is considering whether to throw his hat in the ring to replace Gaetz in the Republican stronghold of the Panhandle.

“I am strongly considering running for Florida Congressional District 1. We have a historic opportunity to fight the swamp, end the rule of law and return power to Americans,” he wrote last week on X .

Meanwhile, Trump has named Republican Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi as his choice to lead the Justice Department.