The outcome of Florida's First District special election gives House Republicans some breathing room in the narrowly divided chamber.

Jimmy Patronis, a mainstay in Tallahassee who rose to the statewide post of chief financial officer, is headed to Congress according to the Associated Press after voters in Matt Gaetz’s former district picked him to replace the firebrand.

Florida's Republican chief financial officer Jimmy Patronis has fended off a tougher-than-expected challenge in a special election for Florida's 1st Congressional District.