NRDC Action Fund Endorses Leela Gray for Florida's 13th Congressional District

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE: July 23, 2026

St. Petersburg, FL — Today, Retired Brigadier General and candidate for Congress in Florida's 13th Congressional District received the endorsement of NRDC Action Fund, the political arm of the Natural Resources Defense Council and one of the nation's most influential environmental advocacy organizations.

"Leela Gray understands that in Florida's 13th District, protecting the coast and lowering costs for families are the same fight. She has committed to banning offshore drilling, cutting utility and insurance costs, and building the resilient infrastructure this district needs after Hurricanes Helene and Milton. NRDC Action Fund is proud to endorse her campaign," said Jed Ober, Managing Director of NRDC Action Fund.

The organization has made energy affordability and coastal resilience central to its 2026 electoral strategy, backing candidates in districts where rising utility and insurance costs have become defining kitchen-table issues.

"With every voter I talk to in this district, I hear the same thing: insurance costs that keep climbing, utility bills that never seem to go down, and a coastline my neighbors depend on for their livelihoods and their safety," said Gray. "This isn't an abstract fight about the environment. It's about whether families here can afford to stay in their homes and whether our tourism and fishing economy survives the next storm. I'm grateful to have NRDC Action Fund in this fight with us."

NRDC Action Fund joins a growing coalition of leaders and organizations that have recognized Gray as the battle-tested leader Florida needs in Congress. The list includes House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark, Former House Majority Leader Congressman Steny Hoyer, Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Senator Mark Kelly, the Florida AFL-CIO, Congresswoman Kathy Castor (FL-14), Congresswoman Lois Frankel (FL-22), Former State Representative Ben Diamond, Ruth’s List founder Alex Sink, fellow veterans and U.S. Reps. Jason Crow, Pat Ryan, and Ted Lieu, Safety Harbor Mayor Joe Ayoub, EMILY’s List, New Politics, and VoteVets.

About Leela Gray

Leela Gray is a third-generation veteran, Retired US Army Brigadier General, attorney, small business leader, and mother running for Congress in Florida's 13th Congressional District. The first in her family to attend college, Leela worked her way through school and served more than 30 years in uniform, including two combat deployments and a peacekeeping mission. She retired in 2018 as Deputy Commanding General of the U.S. Army Central and subsequently advised U.S. Army Cyber Command on modernizing national cyber policy. After retiring from the military, Leela served on non-profit and private sector advisory boards, and earned her law degree to help veterans access healthcare and other critical benefits. Leela and her husband, Tony, have lived in the Tampa Bay area for more than 20 years and are proud parents of their adult daughter. Learn more at leelagray.com.

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