Lake Ray (born October 4, 1956) is a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

member of the

Florida House of Representatives The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida Senate being the upper house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopted ...

, representing the 12th District, which includes parts of downtown

Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

in Duval County, since 2012, and previously representing the 17th District from 2008 to 2012.

Early life and education

Ray was born in

, and was an

Eagle Scout Eagle Scout is the highest achievement or rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. The Eagle Sc ...

in the

Boy Scouts of America The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded i ...

while in high school. He graduated from

St. Johns River State College St. Johns River State College is a public college in Northeast Florida with campuses in Palatka, St. Augustine, and Orange Park. Founded in 1958 (for organizational purposes) as St. Johns River Junior College, it is part of the Florida Colleg ...

with an

associate degree An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree. The fi ...

in 1976. He graduated from the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

degree in

civil engineering Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewage ...

in 1981 and was a member of

Delta Upsilon Delta Upsilon (), commonly known as DU, is a collegiate men's fraternity founded on November 4, 1834 at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It is the sixth-oldest, all-male, college Greek Letter Organizations#Greek letters, Greek-let ...

Career

Following his college graduation, Ray worked as an engineer, eventually becoming President of the First Coast Manufacturers Association. He was elected to the

City Council and served from 1999 to 2007.

Florida House of Representatives

When incumbent

State Representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...

Stan Jordan was unable to seek re-election in 2008, Adkins ran to succeed him in District 17, which included northeastern Duval County. He faced Mario Rubio and Gordon Morgan in the

primary, easily defeating both of them with 52% of the vote. In the general election, Ray faced Regina Young, the Democratic nominee and a minister. The ''

Florida Times-Union ''The Florida Times-Union'' is a daily newspaper in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. Widely known as the oldest newspaper in the state, it began publication as the ''Florida Union'' in 1864. Its current incarnation started in 1883, when th ...

'' endorsed Ray, praising him for his "solid experience in public affairs and...good track record for responding to his constituents." He was able to defeat Young easily, winning with 64% of the vote, and was re-elected without opposition in 2010. When districts were reconfigured in 2012, Ray was drawn into the 12th District, which included much of the territory that he had represented in the 17th District. He won his party's nomination unopposed and encountered

Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as social justice, environmentalism and nonviolence. Greens believe that these issues are inherently related to one another as a foundation ...

nominee Karen Morian, a humanities professor, his only opposition in the general election. Ray emphasized his experience in

Tallahassee Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2020, the population ...

and pledged to work to "bring jobs to JaxPort and broaden the economic opportunities around the region and state." He ended up defeating Morian in a landslide, winning 68% of the vote to Morian's 32%.

Political positions

Donald Trump

On May 4, 2016, Ray endorsed

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

, stating: "It is very obvious as to where we are and that the voices of the people have been heard. As an individual, and even in my elected office, yes I am fully ready to embrace the candidacy of Donald Trump."

References

External links

Florida House of Representatives – Lake Ray
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ray, Lake 1956 births Living people Republican Party members of the Florida House of Representatives Politicians from Jacksonville, Florida