Brian Barefoot resigns from Indian River County School Board, effective immediately
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — School Board District 5 member Brian Barefoot resigned Wednesday. He's moved out of his School Board district, he said, making him ineligible to serve.
His resignation was effective immediately.
Barefoot, who was in the final year of his first four-year term on the School Board, had downsized from his John's Island home and purchased a home in Oak Harbor, which is in District 2. The sale finalized Feb. 15, he said.
"We lived in John's Island in a big house. We needed to downsize (and) make life a little easier," Barefoot said. "It's that simple. I had to resign."
School Board members must live in the district to which they are elected. Barefoot suspended his re-election campaign on Monday, and resigned two days later.
"We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Mr. Barefoot for his service and commitment to our school district and wish him all the best in his future endeavors," district spokeswoman Cristen Maddux said in a statement.
The decision was unrelated to politics, Barefoot said.
"I have considered it an honor to serve the families of Indian River County and hope to continue offering my services in any way to assist in maintaining the momentum built over the past four years. I am particularly grateful to all of you, the dedicated staff, principals, teachers and support personnel who, under the leadership of Dr. Moore, have performed so admirably in particularly challenging times," Barefoot said in an email to district staff announcing his resignation. "Always remember that challenges create opportunities, of which there are many."
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Barefoot said he was unsure how his seat would be filled, with just a few months left in the term.
"Who knows what will happen," he said.
Barefoot was one of two Indian River County School Board members targeted by Gov. Ron DeSantis last year. Saying they need to be ousted for not shielding students from "woke" ideologies and for failing to protect parents' rights, DeSantis urged voters to unseat Barefoot and Peggy Jones.
Both filed for re-election soon after being named on DeSantis' list.
DeSantis aiming to unseat Indian River, St. Lucie school board members for 'woke' ideologies
Barefoot said he has indicated a willingness to help the school district if needed, but for now is ruling out any future involvement in politics. Prior to his election to the School Board in 2020, Barefoot was mayor of Indian River Shores.
Colleen Wixon is the education reporter for TCPalm and Treasure Coast Newspapers. Contact her at colleen.wixon@tcpalm.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Indian River County School Board member resigns, citing relocation reasons
