DADE CITY, Fla. (WFLA) — Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered all Florida State flags at the Pasco County Courthouse, the City Hall of Dade City, and at the State Capitol in Tallahassee to be flown at half-staff on Saturday.
The governor’s office said the flags will be lowered “as a mark of respect” for Former Representative Dale Patchett, who passed away on Aug. 20 at the age of 73.
Patchett served as a representative in the Florida House from 1976 to 1990 and represented Indian River and parts of Brevard, Okeechobee, Osceola, and St. Lucie counties.
Throughout his tenure in the House, Patchett was appointed chairman of both the Environmental Permitting & Protection Committee and the Mining & Reclamation Select Committee. He also acted as Republican Leader Pro Tempore from 1982 to 1984 and as Republican Leader from 1984 to 1990.
After leaving the House, Patchett served as the Deputy Secretary for what later became the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
“Dale Patchett will be remembered as a dedicated advocate for his neighbors and public servant to the citizens of Florida,” the governor’s office wrote in a release.
“I hereby direct the flag of the State of Florida to be flown at half-staff at the Pasco County Courthouse in Dade City, Florida, the City Hall of Dade City, Florida, and at the State Capitol in Tallahassee, Florida, from sunrise to sunset on Saturday, September 23, 2023,” DeSantis said.