Charles and Saundra Gray Become First Couple to Receive LeRoy Collins Lifetime Achievement Award

ORLANDO, Fla. (June 8, 2009) -- J. Charles Gray, founder of GrayRobinson, P.A., and his wife Saundra, have been chosen as the 2009 recipients of Leadership Florida's LeRoy Collins Lifetime Achievement Award. They will be the first couple to receive the award, which recognizes those who have demonstrated exemplary leadership abilities in an effort to improve the quality of life for current and future generations of Floridians. The Grays will be honored during Leadership Florida's annual conference at a luncheon on Friday, June 12 at the Disney Yacht & Beach Club, Orlando, Florida.

"Charlie and Saundra Gray are leaving an impact on the state of Florida and its citizens through their continuous selfless contributions," says GrayRobinson President Byrd F. "Biff" Marshall, Jr., "Their leadership encourages others to donate their own time and abilities in an effort to serve the community and the state."

Perhaps most well-known as one of the founding partners of GrayRobinson, P.A., a Florida law firm with 10 offices located from the Panhandle to Key West, Charlie has established himself as a leading philanthropic, legal and political figure in Central Florida. A graduate of the University of Florida with both his Bachelor of Arts and his Juris Doctor, Gray is an inductee of the University of Florida Hall of Fame. He has served in many roles as a Central Florida leader, including Chairman of the Florida State Turnpike Authority, Chairman of the Economic Development Commission of Mid-Florida, and Chairman of the University of Central Florida Foundation. Charlie served for seven years as County Attorney for Orange County and was involved in developing the Orange County Civic/Convention Center, the county's Tourist Development Plan, and the Orange County Comprehensive Growth Plan.

He was also an integral part in resolving the building moratorium in Orange County by developing a modern waste-water treatment and potable water program using innovative methods and financing. He organized and served as General Counsel for the Orange County Health Facilities Authority where he represented major developers in large DRIs, comprehensive plan amendments, and major state- and county-negotiated property acquisitions.

Saundra is a leader in the agricultural industry. She served as vice president of the Florida Santa Gertrudis Association, and was director of International Santa Gertrudis Breeders. She has served as chairman of the Beef Cattle Advisory Committee for Volusia County and was a member of the Volusia County Institute of Food and Agricultural Science. Saundra was appointed to the Federal Reserve Bank Board in Jacksonville and the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. She volunteers much of her time to the protection and advancement of disabled or underprivileged children. She is currently a board member for the Central Florida Epilepsy Association and the Gateway Center for the Arts in DeBary.

"This unique couple truly represents the heart and soul of Florida," says Keith Houck, Vice President for Administration of Valencia Community College and a Leadership Florida member. "They represent not only the wonderful heritage of Florida, but its glorious future as well."

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