As Northwest Florida voters prepare to cast their ballots in the Republican primary for the 1st Congressional District special election, Gene Valentino is betting that his decades of business experience, time as an Escambia County Commissioner, and staunch support for President Donald Trump will set him apart in a crowded field of contenders.
“I'm running because it's the right thing to do at the right time,” Valentino said in a recent interview. Valentino, who served eight years as an Escambia County Commissioner and has spent 35 years in the district, has made millions as an entrepreneur.
“We’ve provided millions of dollars of payroll, paid millions of dollars in taxes, and given millions of dollars back to the community,” he said. “I wasn’t handed anything on a silver platter.”
Valentino is one of ten Republicans vying for the nomination, including Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, who has been endorsed by Trump. That endorsement reshaped the race, causing many strong contenders to back out, but Valentino stayed in. He brings name recognition from his prior political service and the resources to self-fund his campaign, distinguishing himself as a serious contender.
Valentino draws comparisons between himself and high-profile business leaders who have transitioned to politics, such as Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk, framing his business-first approach as a way to address government inefficiencies. “These are all folks who were not politicians, who are entrepreneurs and businessmen first,” he said, “who made their money in business, and now want to apply those good corporate principles to government process.”
Fiscal Conservatism and Tax Overhaul
Building on his business experience, Valentino’s platform emphasizes fiscal restraint and a revamp of the federal tax code. He advocates for a return to pre-COVID-19 spending levels, emphasizing the need to reassess federal expenditures to align with previous budgets.
He proposes replacing the income tax with a flat tax or sales tax, arguing that the current system is “flawed” and overly complicated. “The thousands of pages involved in that IRS code are obscene,” Valentino said, adding that simplifying the system would encourage investment and job creation.
Valentino says simplifying the tax system would free up resources for business investment, saying, "Most good businessmen use that money to invest in more people, more technology, and more training to create more opportunity."
Solutions for Florida’s Insurance Crisis
In addition to fiscal reform, Valentino has turned his attention to Florida’s property insurance market, marked by soaring premiums and dwindling availability. A former insurance advisor, he argued that state leadership failed to prevent the crisis.
“This sat squarely in the laps of the former Chief Financial Officer, Jimmy Patronis,” he said, directly criticizing one of his opponents in the race. Patronis’ decision to seek higher office has become a campaign issue for Valentino, who believes the state’s insurance woes could have been mitigated with stronger leadership.
Valentino says reforming the federal McCarran-Ferguson Act, which grants states regulatory authority over insurance, is central to addressing Florida's insurance crisis. He proposes pooling insurance risk nationally, as is done with federal flood insurance. “If you're looking at the data from the entire nation, that's the law of large numbers,” he said. “It’s more likely the policy will be renewed, and you’ll have better coverage at lower rates.”
Opposing Gulf Drilling, Supporting the Military
Transitioning from economic policies to regional concerns, Valentino emphasizes caution when it comes to offshore drilling in the Eastern Gulf. “No drilling in the Gulf, at least in the area that I’m oversight of,” he said, pointing to the need to prioritize military operations and training in the region. However, he suggested he might reconsider if national security concerns necessitated it.
A pilot himself, Valentino expressed respect for the region’s military installations, from Eglin to Tyndall. “These guys deserve the footprint needed to get their practice and training missions in to protect this nation,” he said.
His position is also shaped by personal experience during the BP oil spill. “It was obscene, the atrocity that occurred,” he said, recalling his time walking oil-slicked beaches as a county commissioner.
Hardline Immigration Policies
Shifting to national policy, Valentino says he supports President Trump’s hardline approach to immigration, including mass deportations for anyone who entered the country illegally. “If you came into this nation illegally, you’ve got to leave,” he said. However, he acknowledged compassion for individuals like children who were pushed across the border. “We Americans have compassion for folks in need,” he said, but reiterated his zero-tolerance stance for illegal immigration.
