The Okaloosa Democrats and Poquito Bayou Community Association held a Meet the Candidates forum Thursday night where candidates on the ballot for Florida’s Primary and General elections each had five minutes to present and/or take questions about their campaign.
The Bob Hope Village Community Ballroom was packed, with not a single open seat. Some candidates discussed their qualifications and priorities, while others took jabs at their opponents.
With the Primary election just days away on Aug. 18. let’s take a look at the verifiable claims made by each candidate:
Douglas Chico, R
“I’m the only candidate that was born in this district.”: False
Tyler L. Davis, an independent candidate for Florida’s U.S. House District 1, was born and raised in Pensacola. Chico is the only Republican primary candidate born within the bounds of the current iteration of Florida House District 1. Panama City-born Jimmy Patronis was born in 1972 – which was in Florida’s First Congressional District at the time.
“Vietnam-era veterans have to go to South Florida for surgery.”: Partially true
While technically there are Veterans Affairs Medical Centers closer than southern Florida, like Biloxi, Mississippi (174 miles from Niceville), Chico’s claim aimed to emphasize that FL’s 1st District lacks full-service hospitals for veterans. This is true — the closest VAMC in the state is Lake City VA Medical Center in Lake City, FL (331 miles from Niceville)..
Chico pledged to fight for a full-service VAMC in Pensacola and expand the community care network for veterans.
Tyler L. Davis, I
“I have no party affiliation.”: True
Davis is running as an independent, and has voiced her concerns regarding the two-party political system on multiple platforms.
“We can be a leader, but we have to stop following outdated ways of thinking, like voting for whoever shows up as Democrat or Republican when we know full well that those people don’t always align with your values and beliefs,” she said in a Facebook post.
Her social media history shows critiques of both political parties.
John Frankman, R
“I was serving here at Seventh Special Forces Group under the Biden administration and was faced with the unlawful COVID vaccine mandate. I chose not to get the shot for personal reasons, and because of that, was forced out of the military.”: True
In August of 2021, the Department of Defense issued a memorandum requiring all service members receive the COVID-19 vaccine. As a result, the DOD discharged over 8,000 noncompliant service members between 2021-2023.
On Jan. 10, 2023, the Secretary of Defense issued a memorandum rescinding the COVID-19 vaccine requirement for members of the Armed Forces.
After President Donald Trump took office, he signed an executive order in 2025 mandating that service members who were discharged solely based on their COVID-19 vaccination status be reinstated.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed a memo in April 2025 requiring the DOD/W to provide further remedies to service members who were “subjected to the Department’s unfair, overbroad, and unnecessary coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine mandate.”
Hegseth called the rescinded mandate “unlawful” in a video announcement on April 23, 2025.
“We’re [the U.S.] $40 trillion in debt, almost. That means that every man, woman, and child would have to pay $118,000 to the government in order to pay out the federal deficit.”: True
The U.S. The Joint Economic Committee reported these numbers in its Monthly Debt Update.
Jimmy Patronis, R
“We have got a lot of Republicans — I’m sorry, they have Trump Derangement Syndrome, and that primary chamber that’s got it is called the United States Senate.”: Partially True/Unsubstantiated
Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority in the U.S. Senate (vs. 45 Democrats and 2 Independents). Trump often faces opposition from a small group of Senate Republicans.
In his presentation, Patronis specifically referenced the SAVE America Act, which has repeatedly failed at the Senate vote. Most recently, four Republican Senators voted against the proposed legislation.
Trump Derangement Syndrome isn’t listed in the DSM-5 as a diagnosable mental illness.
“My opponent spent $10 million trying to defeat me last year. She outspent me seven to one.”: Partially True
Gay Valimont, Patronis’ Democratic opponent, also ran for the District 1 House seat in 2025. According to campaign finance reports from the Federal Election Commission, Valimont spent about $6.5 million on her 2025 campaign, while Patronis spent just over $1.3 million.
“A buddy of mine works for Delta Airlines, and Delta flies from Atlanta to Africa. He says … every plane comes over from Africa full of pregnant women. That is a loophole that’s got to be closed [birth tourism].”: Unsupported
The government does not have any official data regarding the commonality of “birth tourism,” a term for when a mother travels to another country to give birth and obtain citizenship for the newborn. In 2024, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 9,502 births in the U.S. to foreigners.
In comparison to over 3.6 million total U.S. births that same year, Patronis’ suggestion that “every plane” from Africa comes full of foreign mothers attempting birth tourism is likely an exaggeration of the issue’s scale.
Somebody wants to give me money? Good for them. I appreciate it. If it’s corrupt, I return it. … We will vet the dollars that we get.”: Supported
An attendee questioned Patronis about a $46 thousand donation from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Patronis said he doesn’t ask specific action groups for donations and can’t control what entities support him, but he will return any donations he deems “corrupt.”
According to campaign finance data, Patronis has refunded over $5 thousand in personal contributions and $3.3 thousand to Political Action Committees (PAC) and other groups since December 2024.
As of the date of publishing, Patronis’ campaign finance data does not reflect a refund to AIPAC specifically.
Gay Valimont, D
“Probably the second or third highest bill that we pay every month is health insurance. … What we can thank is our congressmen for voting for the Big, Beautiful Bill.”: Supported
There is no provision in Trump’s 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) that directly increases health insurance premiums. Regardless, the Urban Institute reports a 21.7% increase in ACA benchmark premiums this year, compared to only a 2% increase from 2020-2025. The substantial spike could be attributed to what the OBBB lacks, rather than what it enacts.
The Biden Administration issued temporary health insurance subsidies under the American Rescue Plan Act in 2021, and these “Premium Tax Credits” were extended through 2025 by the Inflation Reduction Act. Trump’s OBBB failed to renew these credits when they expired in 2025, so recipients saw a sudden spike in their health insurance premiums.
The Department of Health and Human Services reported around 3 million people have unenrolled from the Affordable Care Act marketplace since the tax credits expired at the end of 2025.
When healthy people unenroll in the ACA marketplace, insurers are left with a pool of sicker, more expensive users and no way to make up the revenue lost. This effect could also explain a general increase in health insurance premiums and deductibles in 2026.
The [Department of Veterans Affairs] just fired 1,000 doctors and 3,000 nurses.”: True
Valimont referenced massive staffing cuts as part of the VA’s reorganization plan in 2025. The cuts came after Trump established the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in February 2025, which carried out the Workforce Optimization Initiative.
According to a 2025 memo from the VA Chief of Staff, “the Department’s initial objective [was] to return to [its] 2019 endstrength numbers of 399,957 employees.”
VA News reported the government cut around 30,000 employee positions in FY 2025 to limit government spending, including physicians and nurses.
“Our VA [hospitals] are 160% capacity, and that’s unsuitable.”: Mostly Supported
While no official data details a 160% figure, it is objectively true that VA hospitals are understaffed.
According to a report from the Office of the Inspector General, VHA facilities reported a 50% increase in “severe occupational staffing shortages” from FY 2024 to FY 2025.
“Ninety-four percent of facilities reported severe occupational staffing shortages for Medical Officer occupations, and 79 percent of facilities reported severe shortages for Nurse occupations,” the report found.
