PANAMA CITY — Fittingly, the only Green Party candidate for state House District 6 owns a landscape irrigation business.
But while Henry Lawrence, of Panama City, earns his living making sure thirsty plants get enough to drink, his passion lies with supporting renewable energy and legalizing marijuana, for medical and recreational use.
He’s one of several vying to replace term-limited state Rep. Jimmy Patronis, R-Panama City, whose district covers most of Bay County.
Lawrence, 62, gets worked up when talking about marijuana policy, saying the state should offer a full-scale legalization like Colorado did last year.
“It could be a serious revenue generator for the state of Florida,” he said.
Lawrence said the extra tax revenue could go toward education, similar to Colorado where 15 percent of a new 25 percent marijuana sales tax goes toward public schools.
Meanwhile decriminalizing pot would cut down on the prison population and save taxpayers money, he said.
Lawrence also is concerned about growth — and how to manage it while protecting natural resources and government jobs — in the county. He believes the local military bases — Tyndall Air Force Base and Naval Support Activity Panama City — will be cut in the future, so those jobs will need to be replaced in the area.
“My platform is to protect our precious natural resources while creating talented employees for the green jobs of the 21st Century and beyond,” he said.
Lawrence also bills himself as a bicycle safety advocate. He said he helped raise money for the Florida Bicycle Association and Bike Florida. And he was instrumental in getting a state “Share the Road” specialty license plate created, for which Bike Florida gave him the Pioneer Award.
He said his community service qualifies him to serve as a state representative, noting he has pushed to make “more livable, bikeable and walkable neighborhoods for all our citizens.”
If elected, Lawrence said he would stand up to “big polluters” and chemical companies who have damaged Indian River Lagoon, the Everglades National Park and even Deer Point reservoir and St. Andrew Bay.
“No more development should be allowed on our local reservoir. We are literally destroying our own habitat and this must stop NOW,” he said via email.
Lawrence feels he’s the candidate for the little guy and is disenchanted with the major parties.
He added: “I'm running for office so we can have a GREEN alternative to the Corporate Republican and Democratic parties which have run our country into the ground.
“The government is broke and borrowing more every day just to keep the lights on, and that is unacceptable. We can't do that at our own homes, so why should the government be able to do continually borrow and borrow and borrow and borrow? They should NOT!”
Name: Henry Lawrence
Political Party: Green
Age: 62
Profession: owns Lawrence Enterprizes, a landscape irrigation business
Born:
Education: Bay High (1969), associate of arts degree from
Children: Dawn Rose Lawrence (Philips)(37), husband Chris Philips (41)
Grandchildren: Avery Rose (8), Peyton Elizabeth (4)
Pets: Buddy cat, short hair
Hobbies: bicycling, swimming, motorcycling, gardening