Former state GOP leader, House Rep for Indian River, St. Lucie counties Dale Patchett dies

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY – A former state representative known politically for helping secure a Republican state legislative majority in the late 1980s and locally for “bringing home the bacon” for his district, died Sunday at age 73.

Throughout his roughly 14 years in office, from 1976 to 1990, Robert Dale Patchett represented Indian River, St. Lucie and parts of Okeechobee, Osceola and Brevard counties in the state House of Representatives.

Patchett moved to Florida from Illinois in 1973 with his wife Candy Putnam Patchett after he was chosen for an urban forester position with the Florida Division of Forestry, now known as the Florida Forest Service.

Vero Beach attorney Chester Clem, who has practiced law locally since 1963, preceded Patchett's time in office as a local state representative from 1972 to 1976.

Clem said he was part of a House committee that established two statewide urban forestry positions to advise legislators on forestry matters. One of those posts was in Indian River County.

"Patchett applied (and) he was assigned to fill that post in Indian River County and moved here as an urban forester," said Clem.

When Clem left politics in 1976, he said Patchett approached him about the vacant seat.

“He said, ‘I think I’ll run, I said ‘fine,’ (and) I certainly did everything I could to help him at the time,” said Clem. “During the time that the Republicans were in a minority, he was certainly the voice for 14 years … he kind of helped move toward a majority.”

Clem said he was a nice guy and "quite a force for all those years."

Patchett rose through the party ranks to become the Republican leader of the House from 1984 to 1990.

During those years, he became known as “the driving force” in what was called the ‘Target 90’ campaign that secured a Republican majority through redistricting and candidate recruitment, according to an account of his political career from his daughter, Katie Daniels.

As a representative, Patchett and his family lived in Vero Beach and also ran landscaping and real estate businesses.

“Politically, he was very proud of ‘bringing home the bacon’ for his district,” said Daniels by email. “He was able to fund the community center in Gifford, as well as bridges including Vero’s 17th Street and Barber bridges, roads, and beach nourishment projects.”

Patchett earned a reputation as an environmentally conservation-minded conservative. In a 2012 opinion piece, former state Sen. Robert W. McKnight said Patchett was “credited for moving former Republican Gov. Bob Martinez to a pro-environmental position.”

He was always a nature-lover, which led him to the degree in forestry, Daniels said.

“His work as a public servant enabled him to use his knowledge and passion in a productive manner for the betterment of our state resources," she said. "In addition to addressing the concerns for his beloved district, he preferred to focus his time on growth management and environmental issues.”

His time in office was not without controversy.

In a 1990 Tampa Bay Times editorial citing a Miami Herald report, Patchett was accused of, and denied, pushing a 1989 legislative amendment to remove Prang Island off Castaway Cove in the Indian River Lagoon from an aquatic preserve to open it for development. The island later was purchased for preservation.

After his time as representative, Patchett was appointed to oversee the development of what would become the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, where, until 1996, he worked as its assistant director under the first agency head, Secretary Virginia Wetherell.

Following a move to Tallahassee in 1990, and after his time with the FDEP, he worked for over two decades as a state lobbyist until 2018.

Some of his clients included University of Florida, health care, the environment, libraries, and technology. He often took on pro bono work and clients with restricted budgets. He was also part of the core group who successfully directed funding to Moffitt Cancer Center.

He ended his career joining Tallahassee lobbying firm Johnson & Blanton in 2017.

Firm founder Jon Johnson said he knew Patchett from his own time as “a young staffer at the Republican Party of Florida,” when Patchett was its party leader.

“Even to a young upstart staff person, (he was) very kind (and) generous with his time,” said Johnson. “We were honored to have him as part of our team (and) we’d wished we'd all done it sooner.

“Being a former Republican leader and agency head, he brought a lot to the table personally and professionally.”

Patchett died at his home in Trinity in Pasco County, following a month-long hospitalization from what Daniels said was an unexpected illness.

“He was able to be home for a day before passing,” she said. “He got to see family in the comfort of his home, enjoy the trees from his favorite back porch chair and cuddle with the dog.”

A public ceremony will be held 2 p.m. on Sept. 23 at Celebration Baptist Church in Tallahassee.

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Corey Arwood is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Corey on Twitter(X) @coreyarwood, or reach him by phone at 772-978-2246.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Former GOP leader, Vero resident, state Rep. Dale Patchett dies at 73