by Michelle Yoffee | January 05, 2010

Former Oviedo City Councilman Jim Greer, who served for three years as chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, said Tuesday he would step down from his position on Feb. 20, citing the need to maintain unity within the Republican Party.

Greer, who lives in Oviedo with his wife and four children, had been at the center of a firestorm that pitted conservative Republicans against moderates. The squabbling, he said, was tearing apart the Republican Party.

His critics would be willing to "burn the house down and try to destroy the Republican Party," Greer said at a press conference Tuesday.

Those detractors had issues with the party's fundraising efforts, among other things.

The message Greer repeated over and over during the press conference was that of party unity. He said his decision to resign was about putting the party before himself.

During his tenure, Greer successfully led the charge to have the presidential preference primary moved ahead so the state could have more of a say in determining its party's nominee, and last year, under his leadership, Florida returned every incumbent Republican to their respective House and Senate seats.

Governor Charlie Crist has supported Greer through the battle he waged against his critics.

"Jim has long been a loyal servant to the Republican cause, and I appreciate the many sacrifices the chairman, his wife, Lisa, and their four children have made to ensure our party's continued success in the sunshine state,"Crist wrote in a press release. "Chairman Greer has and always will have my unwavering support.

"I call on Florida Republicans to unite behind our common values of less government and more personal freedom and sincerely hope that we can move forward together to ensure statewide Republican victories in 2010."

Jason Brodeur, chairman of the Seminole County Republican Party, said he still supports Greer.

"We're fortunate to have had Jim Greer's service as the chairman of our party," Brodeur said Tuesday afternoon. "Under his leadership, we were able to successfully hold a preferential preference primary, bringing national attention to the importance of our local votes."

"We also did not lose a state house or state senate seat during the largest democrat turnout in U.S. history, which is a testament to his leadership."