[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 10693]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          RECOGNIZING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF JOHN DANIEL RUFFIER

                                  _____
                                 

                           HON. ALAN GRAYSON

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 23, 2014

  Mr. GRAYSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Lesbian, Gay, 
Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month, to recognize John Daniel 
Ruffier.
  John was born May 21, 1971 in Orlando, Florida to Eugene Daniel 
Ruffier and Joan Dial Ruffier. He is their third child, along with 
William Eugene (``Bill'') and Margaret Grace. John is a product of 
Orange County public schools, having attended Lake Silver Elementary, 
Lee Junior High, and Edgewater High School before going on to 
Vanderbilt University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of the Arts 
Degree in English and History in 1992. Ruffier then attended the 
University of Florida's Fredric G. Levin College of Law. Upon 
graduation in 1996, John joined Orlando's largest and most prestigious 
law firm, Lowndes, Drosdick, Doster, Kantor & Reed, P.A., where he 
remains a shareholder specializing in commercial real estate, with a 
focus on assisting clients with the acquisition, financing, and sale of 
senior housing communities and medical office buildings. John also 
works with governmental and non-profit institutions in forming 
partnerships for large-scale redevelopment projects. John has earned 
the highest rating of ``AV'' from Martindale-Hubbell for his legal 
skills.
  John has an extensive record of public service with community service 
organizations in Central Florida and has served on the board of 
directors for many groups, such as the Hope and Help Center of Central 
Florida, the Orlando Shakespeare Theater, and the Central Florida 
Coalition for the Homeless. He also served on the City of Orlando 
Public Art Advisory Board for many years. In 2007, John was appointed 
by then-governor Charlie Crist to the Florida Real Estate Commission, 
where he served until 2011. John, along with Jennifer Foster, founded 
the Central Florida steering committee for the Human Rights Campaign 
(HRC) and, after having served on HRC's national board of governors for 
many years, joined the board of directors for HRC's nonprofit 
foundation in 2011.
  I am happy to honor John Daniel Ruffier, during LGBT Pride Month, for 
his professional and civic contributions to the Central Florida 
community.

                          ____________________