By Lesley Keays
Herald Staff Writer
A local helicopter maintenance facility recently hosted a Republican running for Florida governor.
Rotor Blade Repair in Sanford held a rally for Republican gubernatorial nominee Byron Donalds and his running mate, state Sen. Bryan Ávila, on August 25.
The event occurred shortly after Donalds’ victory in the Republican primary for Florida governor.
Over 100 supporters were present, including notables Bishop Gregory Meaux and his wife, Pastor Rosalina Meaux, as well as Florida’s 7th Congressional District GOP nominee, Ryan Elijah.
The campaign event, titled “Defending the Florida Dream,” took place as part of a multi-city tour, of which Sanford was a key stop.
When asked her reasons for attending the rally, longtime Sanford resident Pat Czar said, “I wanted to show my support locally. I have been scared to wear my Trump hat in public, but not here.”
Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma opened the event to the pounding tempo of the TV show “Cops” theme song, congratulating Donalds on his recent victory. “Leadership matters,”declared Lemma. “I look forward to working alongside Donalds to keep Florida a safe, strong, and special place to call home.” He then introduced Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey.
Ivey congratulated Donalds on his primary win, and encouraged the audience to vote, “to keep Florida safe; to keep Florida free,” he stated.
Donalds’ wife Erika, a conservative activist and educator, then led the group with a welcoming prayer, thanking God for Ron DeSantis and Rick Scott.
Ávila took to the podium, thanking Trump-backed Donalds for “the opportunity of a lifetime.”
Donalds spoke for roughly one half hour, first addressing the economy. He stated that, “Here in Florida, we value capital. We value business owners.”
“We are number one in all of America,“ Donalds noted.
He reinforced his support for law enforcement, government oversight, tax reform, and educating children in trades as an alternative to college.
Donalds stated, “We want an affordable Florida.”
He touched upon his race opponent Democratic nominee David Jolly, referring to the Jolly-Graham ticket as “the most boring, uninspired ticket that Florida Democrats could put together.”
When asked how the event came to be, Rotor Blade Repair Director of Operations Jeff Small stated, “(Seminole County Commissioner) Amy Lockhart is my neighbor. She called me about two weeks ago asking if I could donate my time and space. I said, ‘Sure!’ because we have got to keep this state red.” Lockhart did not attend the rally.
For further information about Rotor Blade Repair, access www.rotorbladerepair.com.
For further information about the Donalds-
Ávila ticket, access byrondonalds.com.
