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                                                                    EXHIBIT 31.1

                                  CERTIFICATION

I, O. Leonard Dorminey, certify that:

   1)    I have reviewed this annual report on Form 10-KSB of Heritage Financial
         Group;

   2)    Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue
         statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary
         to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which
         such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period
         covered by this report;

   3)    Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial
         information included in this report, fairly present in all material
         respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows
         of the small business issuer as of, and for, the periods presented in
         this report;

   4)    The small business issuer's other certifying officer and I are
         responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and
         procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)
         for the small business issuer and have:

         a)    designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such
               disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our
               supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the
               small business issuer, including its consolidated subsidiaries,
               is made know to us by others within those entities, particularly
               during the period in which this report is being prepared;

         b)    evaluated the effectiveness of the small business issuer's
               disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report
               our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure
               controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by
               this report based on such evaluation; and

         c)    disclosed in this report any change in the small business
               issuer's internal control over financial reporting that occurred
               during the small business issuer's fourth fiscal quarter that has
               materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially
               affect, the small business issuer's internal control over
               financial reporting; and

   5)    The small business issuer's other certifying officer and I have
         disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over
         financial reporting, to the small business issuer's auditors and the
         Audit Committee of small business issuer's Board of Directors (or
         persons performing the equivalent functions):

         a)    all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the
               design or operation of internal control over financial reporting
               which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the small
               business issuer's ability to record, process, summarize and
               report financial information; and

         b)    any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or
               other employees who have a significant role in the small business
               issuer's internal control over financial reporting.

Date: March 30, 2006                       By: /s/ O. Leonard Dorminey
                                               ----------------------------
                                           O. Leonard Dorminey
                                           President and Chief Executive Officer
                                           (Principal Executive Officer)