Rep. Patt Maney told Niceville-Valparaiso Chamber members he secured $23 million in state funds for Okaloosa County projects.
Legislative highlights included the passage of the Stolen Honor Bill and the reallocation of nursing home capacity to the Air Force Enlisted Village.
Maney will chair the Justice Budget Subcommittee and serve on key select committees for 2026, including redistricting and property tax reform.
Florida Rep. Patt Maney (R-Shalimar) briefed local business leaders on his recent legislative work and upcoming committee responsibilities during a visit to the Niceville-Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce this week.
Maney, who just returned from an extended session in Tallahassee, said lawmakers were held over by Gov. Ron DeSantis to complete additional parts of the governor’s agenda.
Maney told chamber members that he worked with Sen. Don Gaetz (R-Crestview) to pass the Stolen Honor Bill into law during the 2024–25 session. He also secured a change in state-mandated nursing home bed allocations, redirecting capacity from the Panama City area to the Air Force Enlisted Village in Shalimar. The Panama City allocation had gone unused after facilities there were destroyed during Hurricane Michael in 2018.
The lawmaker said he helped bring back about $23 million in state funding for Okaloosa County projects. The total includes funds for a new water well in Niceville and roughly $5 million for Northwest Florida State College. College president Mel Ponder drew laughter from attendees when he cheered at the announcement.
With his third term underway, Maney’s committee responsibilities are expanding. He will sit on the Justice Committee and the House budget committee, and he will chair the Justice Budget Subcommittee.
Maney recounted questioning court administrators about long-vacant positions still receiving funding. “I’ve discovered, for instance, that the court system had four vacancies that we’ve been funding and giving raises to for over 3,000 days,” he said, comparing the length of the vacancies to the reign of Anne Boleyn in England.
Looking ahead to 2026, Maney will also serve on three select committees with statewide and national significance: property tax reform, congressional redistricting, and security and threat assessment.
Pro Communi Bono
St. Francis De Sales, Ora Pro Nobis!
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