A former Director-at-Large of the Libertarian Party of Florida is a 2024 candidate for State Representative from the Cape Coral District. Larry Gillis, a retired criminal lawyer from New Hampshire, has registered with the Florida Elections Division.

Gillis proposes to create a legal presumption at all levels that governmental action is neither required nor desirable. As an amendment to the Florida State Constitution, it will govern all legal interpretations of the State Constitution, all statutes, directives, ordinances, and administrative regulations. Courts will be expressly directed to apply this rule to legislative enactments. The presumption can be overcome, but only for good cause factually shown.

“Over the past three generations especially, there has emerged an expectation that government action will generally be our first response to each and every perceived societal need,” he said. “The result is an unholy and relentless one-way ratchet, burdening us with more and more government at all levels and with less and less personal freedom. The tax burden has increased dramatically.”

“This has simply got to stop. Personal responsibility has got to be our first response. This simple amendment of mine will allow us to transition over time, back to a proper balance between us and the government we created.”

“The scary part is that — unless we do something now — our kids will be even worse at this than we are.”

Gillis is a graduate of Phillips Andover, Harvard College, and Boston University Law School. Captain Gillis commanded a Military Police company in Europe. As a NH State Representative, he chaired the NH House Appropriations Subcommittee on Justice and was a member of the Committee of Conference on the NH State Operating Budget.

He later served as Concord City Prosecutor and as an Assistant County Attorney. He was a member of the Board of Governors of the NH Bar Association. More recently, Professor Gillis has been teaching legal studies courses online for the University of Maryland Global Campus for the past 15 years.

A paid article he wrote for the New York Times Magazine was adapted to the stage and was presented briefly in Manhattan. He also taught a course on American Criminal Procedure at a law school in Kaunas Lithuania.

Gillis has been a registered Libertarian since 2014. After moving to SW FL, he was vice chair of the Libertarian Party of Lee County (FL) for several years. After serving as a Regional Representative to the Executive Committee of the Libertarian Party of Florida (LPF), he was elected a Director-at-Large of the LPF. He has written numerous letters to the editor in SW Florida, typically quoting liberally from the LP Platform and the LPF Platform. He chaired the LPF Legislative Affairs Committee.

Gillis and his wife moved from seacoast NH to the Sands Boulevard area in SW Cape Coral in 2008.

The opinions shared here do not necessarily represent the official position of the Libertarian Party. These editorial articles have been submitted by Libertarians across the country, and featuring these topics does not represent an endorsement of the content therein.

The opinions shared here do not necessarily represent the official position of the Libertarian Party. These editorial articles have been submitted by Libertarians across the country, and featuring these topics does not represent an endorsement of the content therein.