Florida school elections yield mixed results amid partisan politicking
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The big story: Floridians shone a bright light on school board elections in the weeks leading up to Tuesday’s primary election, with activists from across the political spectrum stressing the importance of the traditionally under-watched nonpartisan local entities.
All sides walked away with a little something.
Supporters of Gov. Ron DeSantis and his conservative agenda saw their ranks grow on boards, with the vast majority of the 30 candidates he endorsed winning outright or heading to the November general election. In Sarasota County, all three candidates backed by DeSantis won, flipping the makeup of that board, the Herald-Tribune reports. Read more from Politico Florida.
But his coattails were not all encompassing.
In Hillsborough County, for instance, DeSantis-backed candidate Aly Legge could not overcome the incumbency of Karen Perez, who had the support of the Charlie Crist, the Democratic candidate for governor. In Alachua County, Democratic Party-backed Diyonne McGraw, whom DeSantis removed from office last year, bested Mildred Russell, who DeSantis put into McGraw’s seat, the Gainesville Sun reports.
In Pinellas County, Crist-supported candidate Brian Martin headed into a runoff with Stephanie Meyer, who did not have a DeSantis endorsement but strongly backed the agenda.
The board members elected this year face 12-year term limits, as approved by the Legislature in the spring. Still, voters demonstrated their willingness to remove incumbents without a law requiring their departure.
Among the many results, Polk County board member Sarah Fortney lost her seat (Ledger), as did longtime Miami-Dade County incumbent Marta Pérez (Miami Herald), Lee County incumbent Gwynetta Gittens (Fort Myers News-Press) and Manatee County board chairperson James Golden (Bradenton Herald). Still other incumbents did not muster majorities and headed to runoffs, including Palm Beach board member Marcia Andrews (Palm Beach Post) and two Hernando County board members (Suncoast News).
Meanwhile, eight school districts asked their voters to approve or renew taxing measures to provide them with additional money for operating expenses, including employee raises. Seven of them passed, including in Pasco County, as well as in Broward (Sun-Sentinel), Orange (Orlando Sentinel) and Duval (Florida Times-Union). The outlier was Hillsborough County, where the referendum appeared to fail by less than half a percentage point, prompting an expected recount.
And it’s not over. The general election is two months away.
Hot topics
Vaccinations: Student participation in mandatory school vaccinations has dropped to its lowest level since 2014, WUSF reports.
School safety: Orange County law enforcement is cracking down on drivers who do not heed school zones, WKMG reports.
Book challenges: A Sarasota County judge threw out a lawsuit that sought to bring criminal charges against district officials because of the content of certain books in school libraries, the Herald-Tribune reports.
Other school news
The University of Florida’s provost took responsibility for removing the Honors Program director. Provost Joe Glover said the director had lost the confidence of trustees, the Gainesville Sun reports. The decision created a stir among students and their families.
Brevard County schools are making preparations for NASA’s historic Artemis launch. Officials cautioned parents to expect heavy traffic delays, WKMG reports.
Don’t miss a story. Here’s the link to yesterday’s roundup.
Before you go ... Social media got you in a twist? Check out this Twitter feed from the Netherlands. It focuses on the positive side of life. With lots of cute animal videos.
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