Once the president of the New Jersey Performance Powerboat Club founded by his father, Raymond, who died in 2024, Dave Patnaude moved to South Florida several years ago and never looked back. Patnaude spent most of his life in the Northeast and was more-than-ready to go.
Free Republic Of Florida apparel— “Inspired By The Water. Made For The Lifestyle.”
“Everywhere you go in the Northeast, you get charged for something,” he explained during an expansive sushi dinner last night after the American Marine Performance Showcase at the SLT Collection. “You go to the beach or a park, you get charged. Pretty much anywhere you park, you get charged. It’s crazy.
“Of course, there are places that charge for that kind of stuff in Florida, but mostly it’s not like that,” he added.
Now the vice-president of Nimbus USA, a subsidiary of Swedish powerboat builder Nimbus AB, Patnaude was impressed by what he describes as the “freedom” of the Sunshine State. And entrepreneurial by nature, that gave him an idea.
Why not create a brand of casual, Florida-inspired apparel?
After tossing around ideas with Ronda McElrath, his fiancé, he arrived at a name and a tagline for his brand and immediately trademarked both.
Free Republic Of Florida apparel— “Inspired By The Water. Made For The Lifestyle.”
Then he found a local clothing manufacturer.
For the moment, at least, Patnaude and McElrath are handling fulfillment from their Fort Lauderdale home. Once they reach a certain sales-threshold, they’ll turn over that chore to a local fulfillment house. They already have one in mind.
“All of the clothing is made in the U.S.A,” Patnaude emphasized. “That’s important.”
At some point, Patnaude hopes to build brand into something that will attract a buyer. That’s his end-game. But for now, he and McElrath are enjoying the process.
Not to mention life in the Free Republic Of Florida.