Press Releases
For Immediate Release
August 2, 2010
Greg Evers Announces Endorsement by Frank and Nancy Lay
Baker, Fla. – Greg Evers, Republican Candidate for State Senate District 2, today announced he received the endorsement of Frank and Nancy Lay. Frank Lay is the former Pace High School principal who was charged with criminal contempt of court for offering a blessing at a lunch dedication of a new athletic facility attended by, and in appreciation of, the adult workers who constructed the facility. In the wake of this event and the school district's entry into the underlying over-reaching consent decree, Evers co-sponsored, along with Representative Brad Drake (R- Eucheeanna), House Bill 31 designed to preempt future ACLU attacks on the First Amendment protections of freedom of speech, including religious speech. The bill was passed and signed into law.
“Greg Evers enjoys immense support in Northwest Florida because he is one of us who has never lost sight of acting as our voice and our watchdog in Tallahassee for our Northwest Florida values,” said Frank Lay. “He has been unwavering in his support of my wife and I as a principal and teacher in Santa Rosa County, just as he has supported all of the students and faculty at Pace High School. We need Greg as our next Florida Senator from Northwest Florida. He has our full and unequivocal support.”
“Greg has been unwavering in his advocacy and support of our values and freedoms, including our freedom of religion,” said Nancy Lay. “This first bill he co-sponsored in the Florida Legislature was a bill that would have protected the right of our students to have voluntary, student-led prayer at school events. How very appropriate that the final bill Greg sponsored and passed into law as a member of the Florida House of Representatives was House Bill 31 – legislation that prohibits school districts from taking any affirmative action that will infringe upon the religious freedoms of school district staff members and students. We worked closely with Greg throughout the 2010 Legislative Session on this bill. We can tell you that Greg worked his heart out to see it passed into law and signed by the governor.”
“I thank Frank and Nancy for their kind words of support and their endorsement of my campaign for Senate District 2,” said Evers. “My Northwest Florida values and my faith are what guide me in making policy decisions for our area. And if elected, I pledge to continue to be guided by those same principles, and ensure that I am a strong voice in the Florida Legislature for the people of Northwest Florida.”
Senate District 2 consists of Holmes and Washington, and parts of Bay, Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa and Walton Counties. The seat is currently held by Senator Durrell Peaden, Jr., who has served-out his term in the office.
Evers has had the privilege of serving the residents of Florida House District 1, which includes northern portions of Escambia, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa Counties, in the Florida House of Representatives since 2001. A fifth-generation, panhandle farmer and small businessman, Evers puts his real-world experience to good use in the Florida Legislature and is proud of his accomplishments on behalf of Florida’s critical agriculture industry, economic development, job creation, and preserving and protecting Northwest Florida values, including acting as a champion of our Second Amendment rights and protections. He has sponsored and passed NRA priority legislation, protecting the right of law-abiding citizens to have legal firearms secured in the automobiles in public parking lots and protecting against raids of Florida’s Concealed Carry Permit Trust Fund. He has also sponsored legislation, protecting Floridians from unnecessary federal government intrusion into health care freedoms and choices, designating “In God We Trust” as the official motto of the State of Florida, enabling Florida farmers to transport their farm equipment from field to field without the burden of additional government permits or fees, enabling the reopening of the Jay Oil Field to restore numerous Northwest Florida jobs, and extending the dates between parole hearings for violent criminal offenders to protect victims and taxpayer resources. Evers has never been prouder of any legislation he has sponsored than he is of House Bill 31, which will protect the First Amendment religious speech rights of teachers and students across Florida from future infringements, such as those suffered at the hands of the ACLU in Santa Rosa County.
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