Florida changed several major school boards to liberal from conservative on Tuesday night, continuing the nationwide trend of parents regaining control over public schools.
Florida’s school board elections were a key political battleground in this cycle. Big names such as Gov. Ron DeSantis, R. and Rep. Byron Donalds, R. made endorsements and joined the campaign trail.
While primary elections were held in Florida, New York and Oklahoma on Tuesday, Florida holds general elections for school board members. The winners of these elections will become the officers.
Many of the winning candidates have been endorsed by the 1776 Project PAC, an organization that has been instrumental in flipping school boards from liberal to conservative across the country.
“We saw massive election victories all throughout the state of Florida tonight,” 1776 Project PAC founder Ryan Girdusky told Breitbart News Tuesday. It shows that parents and residents all over the country want some normalcy to our educational system. This means fighting against transgender ideology and critical race theory as well as equity which damages merit in education
“The 1776 Project PAC hopes to take these successes across the country,” he said.
Sarasota County
The Sarasota County Schools Board went from having a majority of 3-2 leftists to one with a majority of 4-1 conservatives.
All three conservative candidates, Bridget Ziegler and Robyn Marinelli won elections to turn the board around.
Each was endorsed by the 1776 Project PAC and Gov. DeSantis.
BREAKING: All three of our endorsed candidates in Sarasota County, Florida have WON their elections.
We just changed the composition of our school board, from a liberal majority with a 3-2 vote to sanitizing 4-1.
Congratulations to Bridget Ziegler and Robyn Marinelli.
— 1776 Project Pac (@1776ProjectPac) August 23, 2022
Clay County
The Clay County School Board has now a 3-1 conservative majority, after the election of three conservative candidates.
Erin Skipper, Michele Hanson, and Ashley Gilhousen won their seats — all of whom were endorsed by the 1776 Project PAC.
This school board has been the subject of much controversy, with recent testimony from father Wendell Perez telling the Florida surgeon general that Clay County Public Schools secretly starting “transitioning” his 12-year-old daughter without his knowledge.
Florida father Wendell Perez tells the state surgeon general that Clay County District Schools secretly “transitioned” his 12-year-old daughter without his knowledge and “affirmed” a male name and pronouns, which contributed to her attempted suicide in a school bathroom. pic.twitter.com/VY8Le9KqCi
— Christopher F. Rufo (@realchrisrufo) August 23, 2022
Perez called her daughter a male name with pronouns. Soon after, she attempted suicide in the school’s toilets.
Duval County / City of Jacksonville
Tuesday night, the conservative Duval County School Board, that also includes Jacksonville, also changed its mind.
DeSantis candidates April Carney and Charlotte Joyce were elected to their respective seats. Joyce defeated Elizabeth Andersen. Both candidates were also endorsed by the 1776 Project PAC.
Breitbart News reports that Andersen was caught using racist language in recent weeks against parents of black children in her school district. She called those disagreeing with her publically “tokens .”
Charlotte Joyce won re-election to the Duval County School Board, while April Carney was voted in. Florida Governor backed both. Ron DeSantis was supported by conservative group Moms for Liberty.
Read more at https://t.co/bBtvbzLJps. #duvalvotes #floridaprimary2022 pic.twitter.com/K0nUlFaIm8
— Florida Times-Union (@jaxdotcom) August 24, 2022
Miami-Dade County
The Miami-Dade School Board was flipped conservative Tuesday as well, making it the largest school district in the country with a conservative-majority board.
Roberto Alonso and Monica Colucci won their elections, both of whom were endorsed by the 1776 Project PAC and Gov. DeSantis.
HUGE – Both our candidates from Miami Dade County in Florida won their election, turning the conservative school board upside down.
Miami Dade has the largest county in America and has a majority of conservative school boards.
Congratulations to Roberto Alonso & Monica Colucci.
— 1776 Project Pac (@1776ProjectPac) August 24, 2022
Martin County
The Martin County School Board has flipped conservative with all three 1776 Project PAC-endorsed candidates winning their seats.
Christina Li Roberts and Jennifer Russell will be joining the board.
BREAKING: All three of our candidates in Martin County, Florida have WON their elections.
The Martin County school board has now a majority of conservative members.
Congratulations to Christia Roberts, Jennifer Russell and Amy Pritchett.
— 1776 Project Pac (@1776ProjectPac) August 24, 2022
Turning the Tide
A number of other school boards in Florida were open for election on Tuesday. Gov. In the days before Election Day, DeSantis conducted a tour of several school boards and gave speeches.
School boards that @1776ProjectPac flipped seats and won several conservative majorities:
– Bay
– Brevard
– Clay
– Duval
– Flager
– Hernando
– Hillsborough
– Martin
– Miami-Dade
– Okaloosa
– Polk
– Putnam
– Sarasota— Ryan James Girdusky (@RyanGirdusky) August 24, 2022
With a surge of concerned parents due to the revelations about critical race theory, gender ideology, and equity proliferating in K-12 schools, school boards across the country are flipping to conservative control.
School board elections were defined by low voter turnouts and uncontested races.
Since 2021, education has become a winning issue for conservatives and parents looking to keep their children safe from leftist indoctrination and unsolicited medical treatment.
Breccan F. Thies is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow him on Twitter @BreccanFThies.
