**Exhibit 31.1**

 

**CERTIFICATIONS**

 

I, Michael J.Lavington, certify that:

 

(1)           I have reviewed this Annual Report onForm 10-K of Gevity HR, Inc.;

 

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

 

(3)           Based on my knowledge, the financialstatements, and other financial information included in this report, fairlypresent in all material respects the financial condition, results of operationsand cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in thisreport;

 

(4)           The registrant’sother certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintainingdisclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined inExchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15 (f)) for the registrant andhave:

 
|  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 registrant, including its consolidated  subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities,  particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;                               |
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|  b. | designed  such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal  control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to  provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting  and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in  accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;                                      |
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|  c. | evaluated  the effectiveness of the registrant’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                                                                                                                      |
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|  d. | disclosed in  this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial  reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter  (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that  has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the  registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and; |

 

 (5)          Theregistrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recentevaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’sauditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (orpersons 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 registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and  report financial information; and |
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|  b. | any  fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees  who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over  financial reporting.                                                                                                 |

 
| Dated:  March 16, 2009 |   /s/  Michael J. Lavington |
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|                        |   Michael J. Lavington      |
|                        |   Chief Executive Officer   |

 

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