With Thursday marking the 60th anniversary of Congress establishing the National Day of Prayer, Gov. Rick Scott, during a midday Thursday ceremony on the 22nd floor of the state Capitol, called upon Floridians to pray to God for jobs, business growth and to protect those in the American armed forces.

“I ... ask you to remember all those in need of job opportunities,” Scott said. “Even though we’ve had a great 16 months, we still have 800,000 people out of work, 800,000 people worried about how they are going to put food on their table, pay their rent, build their families, make sure their children can get an education and be clothed. All these things. Eight hundred thousand people. So please pray for them.

“We need more businesses and job opportunities in our state,” added Scott. “So please pray for Florida businesses.”

Scott also implored Floridians to keep “our men and women in uniform” and their families in their prayers.

“Think of the countless individuals who have been lost overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan and other places defending our right to do this,” Scott said.

With the annual state Law Enforcement Officers’ Memorial Service scheduled at the Capitol on Monday, the governor also called for Floridians to pray for fallen law enforcement officers and their families.

“Since I’ve been governor, we’ve lost 12 members of law enforcement,” Scott said. “You go to any one of those funerals and your heart goes out to their families. It’s a tragedy. They’re putting their lives at risk.”

A poll of American adults released on Thursday finds broad support for the National Day of Prayer. The poll from Rasmussen Reports finds that 68 percent of those surveyed support the National Day of Prayer, while 24 percent oppose it. The poll of 1,000 adults was taken May 1-2 and had a margin of error of +/- 3percent.



Reach Jim Turner at jturner@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 215-9889.