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Understanding and navigating government can be daunting, which is why I strive to help clients build successful plans built on strong communication, strategic planning, and tactical measures to facilitate achieving their business development goals.

Primary Practice:

Patrick Gillespie works with clients seeking to do business in and expand throughout Florida, navigating them through the regulatory and procurement challenges across state and local governments. He leverages his connections from more than 20 years of government, project management, and communications experience, including with Florida Department of Management Services (DMS), to merge clients’ interests and policy goals, furthering their growth, expanding their operations, and thereby partnering with businesses on economic development initiatives across the state.

Patrick has experience in project management and policy development, government affairs, procurement, communications, information technology, policy, advocacy, and public relations, also having served as statewide press secretary for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

As former DMS Deputy Secretary of Business Operations, the procurement and business arm of Florida state government, Patrick led more than 400 staff in the areas of procurement and contract management, real estate, and telecommunications, while overseeing policy and budget development and engaging legislative leaders about department priorities. Patrick was also responsible for several high-profile construction projects, including the Capitol Complex Improvement Project, a multi-year construction project to improve the Florida Capitol’s safety and access and overhaul its architectural design.

Through his experience in the Gov. Ron DeSantis administration, Patrick assessed and managed high-profile projects, navigating state and local government offices, and news media coverage and scrutiny. He engaged in policy development for agency priorities, including procurement, information technology, construction, and emergency response. Patrick developed and implemented executive and legislative strategies for state government agencies, updating key legislative and executive stakeholders about agency goals, projects, and operations.

Patrick’s representative work throughout the state of Florida includes:

  • Supervised large-scale procurements and contracts representing more than $1.3 billion annually. Oversaw more than $900 million in construction, including design of the new $180 million State Emergency Operations Center and the first-ever modernization of the Florida Capitol.
  • Managed the modernization of a statewide first responder mission critical communication system, and upgrades to state fleet management, travel, and purchasing systems.
  • Managed communications, stakeholder engagement, risk assessments, and mitigation strategies in high-profile projects in real estate, statewide cloud-based IT systems, emergency response, legislative priorities, website redesign, and other critical projects.

Through his extensive background in public relations and communications, Patrick has provided public relations counsel for clients on federal, state, and local issues, including leading grassroots efforts on state and federal legislative and policy priorities for Fortune 500 companies and large associations. He also has experience in developing and executing risk management and crisis communication strategies.

Patrick earned his B.A. at the University of Texas at Arlington.

 Disclaimer: Patrick Gillespie is not licensed to practice law.

Education

  • University of Texas at Arlington, B.A., 2003

Community Involvement

  • Big Brothers Big Sisters
  • Calvary Chapel Tallahassee
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Areas of Practice

News