Johnnie Byrd is the host of "Johnnie Byrd's Weekend" - conservative political talk - aired Saturdays at 11am EST on Salem Communications' WGUL 860 AM Tampa, Florida. Johnnie served as a Florida State Representative in Tallahassee serving District 62 (R-Plant City) from 1996 until 2004, and served as Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives from 2002 to 2004. Speaker Byrd is also an attorney with the Plant City law firm of Byrd & Stitzel, P.A. He earned a B.S. in Business Administration from Auburn University and received his Juris Doctor from the University of Alabama. Johnnie Byrd's firm belief in less government, less taxes and more personal freedom brought him high marks and honors from business, pro-family and conservative organizations. The following reflect some of the recognition afforded Speaker Byrd over the years for championing these values. 1. Speaker Byrd was one of only 40 State Representatives and State Senators to receive "Top Forty" legislator status from the Florida Chamber of Commerce. 2. Speaker Byrd received a perfect 100% rating from the Christian Coalition of Florida received its "Friend of the Family" award. 3. Byrd received the NFIB-Guardian of Small Business Award for a 100% voting Record on issues concerning small businesses. 4. Johnnie was presented with the Legislative Appreciation award by the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) for outstanding support to Florida disabled veterans. 5. Speaker Byrd received the NRA "Defender of Freedom Award" in 2004 for outstanding leadership in the preservation of 2nd Amendment rights. 6. Byrd received the 2003 Thomas Jefferson Award for protection of Florida taxpayers. Family means a lot to Johnnie Byrd. His public advocacy of family empowerment is rooted in a strong commitment to his own family. Speaker Byrd and Melane, his wife of 32 years, homemaker and Auburn graduate (War Eagle!), have four children: 1. Melane Anne Byrd, a United States Naval Academy graduate and naval aviator; 2. Sherer Falardeau, a EMT and graduate of the University of Florida, whose husband, John Paul, is a naval aviator; 3. Amanda Byrd, a junior and criminology major at the University of Florida; 4. Johnnie Bryars Byrd III is a sophomore at Plant City H.S. where he is on the varsity swim team. Speaker Byrd, Melane and their children are active members of the First Baptist Church of Plant City where Johnnie has served as a deacon and currently teaches Sunday School. http://www.townhall.com/columnists/JohnnieBByrd http://media.townhall.com/TownHall/icons/TH-feed-icon-128x128.gif http://www.townhall.com/columnists/JohnnieBByrd TownHall.com, Where your opinion counts. 128 Copyright (c) 2009 Townhall.com, A Salem Communications Web. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED jim.dearras@townhall.com (Jim De Arras) Fri, 24 Oct 2008 12:28:28 GMT Fri, 24 Oct 2008 12:28:28 GMT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/ "Ohio Republicans sought, unsuccessfully, to close a week-long window that ended Oct. 6 in which Ohioans could register and immediately cast a ballot. Their main argument was that Ohio law did not permit same-day... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/JohnnieBByrd/2008/10/24/wwjd-what_would_jimmy_do 03f98bdf-6f70-4683-afc0-1e3b2d960af3 Fri, 24 Oct 2008 12:28:28 GMT The Democrats can taste it. They believe they are just weeks away from an economic coup d'état that will allow them to restructure America's economy in ways that would make FDR blush over the relative anemia of his New... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/JohnnieBByrd/2008/10/15/can_mccain-palin_fend_off_the_welfare_state d8bc219a-7e6b-4194-a56e-5b408439fb6d Wed, 15 Oct 2008 13:30:07 GMT Senator John McCain finally acknowledged during the second presidential debate that some American home owners might just be victims of something more than "biting off more than they could chew" in a home mortgage. Take... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/JohnnieBByrd/2008/10/10/better_late_than_never c034eca1-4730-4f84-9ac8-c33eeb968a6d Fri, 10 Oct 2008 14:49:29 GMT Listening to the many voices offering "solutions" to the current economic crisis reminds me of some sage advice from an old friend who was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Looking for help, he bounced from doctor to... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/JohnnieBByrd/2008/09/26/no_bailouts_let_the_hammer_fall 73395de5-fd37-4250-897d-1a25325c52c0 Fri, 26 Sep 2008 18:07:11 GMT Dear Sarah, Alzheimer's disease is ravaging millions of Americans, mostly seniors, but not always the elderly. That is why I write you-because we don't choose to become advocates; we are called to action by our loved... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/JohnnieBByrd/2008/09/22/dear_sarah_lets_cure_the_incurable 1f06817e-6e48-4113-ba27-9a8b3f77ef03 Mon, 22 Sep 2008 15:09:01 GMT If a bank or a finance company owned the land, the owner man said, The Bank-or the Company-needs-wants-insists-must have-as though the Bank or the Company were a monster, with thought and feeling, which had ensnared... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/JohnnieBByrd/2008/09/15/who_will_harvest_the_grapes_of_wrath fbaa2311-3b2b-48eb-b8d9-57d643857d18 Mon, 15 Sep 2008 15:34:13 GMT After having awakened with a political hangover the morning after Obama's spectacle acceptance, rank-and-file Republicans were rejuvenated by the Maverick's selection of Governor Sarah Palin to be his second in command.... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/JohnnieBByrd/2008/09/03/god_working_through_the_unlikely c0a7080f-bf3a-46a5-837d-8991619dcb97 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 14:50:55 GMT Does Obama really believe what he said-that China's infrastructure is "vastly superior" to the United States? Was this a gaff of someone who was off the teleprompter? Obviously, but perhaps he is suffering from a deeper... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/JohnnieBByrd/2008/08/29/obama_lets_move_to_bedrock 5514c211-ef5a-4df6-921d-86cd3853ad71 Fri, 29 Aug 2008 18:52:19 GMT I'm a hustler baby, I'm a hustlerI just want you to know, wanna let you knowIt ain't where I been, it ain't where I beenBut where I'm 'bout to go, top of the world! -Jay Z The race hustlers can almost taste it... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/JohnnieBByrd/2008/08/23/im_a_race_hustler_baby 91bad200-c54b-457c-a4e9-3e2a3de38575 Sat, 23 Aug 2008 04:01:00 GMT Rushing through the Seattle airport after a relaxing holiday in Anacortes, Washington, I decided to grab a couple of titles from the airport bookstore for the redeye flight back home to Tampa. Natan Sharansky's latest,... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/JohnnieBByrd/2008/08/13/understanding_post-identity_politics 78724545-01e9-4864-9a90-398229c556ea Wed, 13 Aug 2008 14:45:00 GMT "WASHINGTON-American intelligence agencies have concluded that members of Pakistan's powerful spy service helped plan the deadly July 7 bombing of India's embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, according to United States... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/JohnnieBByrd/2008/08/05/no_time_for_an_international_lightweight 57b67ad7-7d05-40ce-90a8-b9b7474ae8f2 Tue, 05 Aug 2008 14:25:22 GMT If September 26th were tomorrow it wouldn't be soon enough for John McCain. Unfortunately, he'll endure eight more weeks in his earned media "dead zone" before the first of three presidential debates scheduled for... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/JohnnieBByrd/2008/08/01/a_long_wait_for_the_debates 447d8666-0c62-4599-8c76-4fd85bed5817 Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:10:10 GMT Ma Kai is a Chinese communist. He is a political economist. This spring Ma Kai was elevated to the position of Secretary-General of China's State Council having successfully completing a five-year stint as Minister of... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/JohnnieBByrd/2008/07/18/a_communist_who_really_is_looking_out_for_the_folks 9d1050fc-7ba6-4500-850e-b58d060f1075 Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:26:31 GMT Conservative talk show hosts and their listeners are exasperated. They know the Obama candidacy is essentially an act-a calculated, well-scripted, cinematic performance. What really gets them down is the ease with which... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/JohnnieBByrd/2008/07/10/will_obama_jump_the_shark 06e6c440-28fa-45f3-9f0e-196113aca311 Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:37:36 GMT ANNAPOLIS, Maryland, July 2, 2008 - This morning approximately 1,250 of America's best and brightest young men and women arrived at Alumni Hall to begin Induction Day and their new lives as plebes-or midshipmen 4th... http://www.townhall.com/columnists/JohnnieBByrd/2008/07/02/god_and_country_at_the_united_states_naval_academy 52eac9bd-4615-4b8c-87c0-255003663f8e Wed, 02 Jul 2008 04:01:00 GMT