Continuing a nationwide trend of parents taking back control of public schools, on Tuesday evening Florida flipped many major school boards from liberal to conservative.
Florida’s school board elections have been an important political battleground this year, with Governor Ron DeSantis (R), Rep. Byron Donalds (R), and others signing endorsements and campaigning.
At the same time as the primary elections were held in Florida, New York, and Oklahoma Tuesday, Florida had general elections for school boards, which means that the winners will be the official members of the boards.
A majority of the winners were supported by the 1776 Project PAC, the group that has played a key role in transforming school boards from conservative to liberal across the country.
“We saw massive election victories all throughout the state of Florida tonight,” 1776 Project PAC founder Ryan Girdusky said to Breitbart News on Tuesday. “It shows the desire of parents and residents across the country for some normalcy in our education system, and that means pushing against transgender ideology, critical race theory, critical gender ideology, and equity which destroys merit in education.”
“The 1776 Project PAC hopes to take these successes across the country,” he stated.
Sarasota County
The Sarasota County School Board flipped from a 3-2 liberal majority to a conservative majority of 4-1.
Bridget Ziegler, Robyn Marinelli, and Timothy Enos, the three conservative candidates, won their races to make a conservative majority.
Each was supported through the 1776 Project PAC and Gov. DeSantis.
Clay County
The school board in Clay county now has a conservative majority of 3-2 because three of the conservatives won their races.
Erin Skipper, Michele Hanson and Ashley Gilhousen were elected to their respective seats with all approved through the 1776 Project PAC.
The school board has become the center of heated debate recently with testimony from Wendell Perez telling the Florida surgeon general that Clay County Public Schools secretly began “transitioning” his 12-year-old daughter without his knowledge.
Perez's daughter was referred by a male name and pronouns. The girl later attempted suicide in the bathroom at school.
Duval County / City of Jacksonville
It is the Duval County School Board, which includes Jacksonville, also changed its stance on Tuesday night and has a conservative majority.
Candidates backed by DeSantis, Charlotte Joyce and April Carney, were elected to their respective seats. Joyce was elected again, while Carney beat the incumbent Elizabeth Andersen. Both candidates were endorsed by the 1776 Project PAC.
Breitbart News reported that Andersen had been heard in recent weeks making racist remarks about black parents within her school district. She called those who publicly did not agree with her “tokens.”
Miami-Dade County
The Miami-Dade School Board was flipped to a conservative majority Tuesday as well. It is now the largest school district in the country with a conservative-majority board.
Roberto Alonso and Monica Colucci have won their races, and both were supported by the 1776 Project PAC and Gov. DeSantis.
Martin County
The Martin County School Board has changed to a conservative majority with the three 1776 Project-PAC-endorsed candidates winning seats.
Christina Li Roberts, Jennifer Russell Jennifer Russell, Christina Li Roberts and Amy Pritchett will now be on the board.
A Conservative Shift
A number of other school board seats were voted on in Florida on Tuesday. Governor DeSantis campaigned for several school boards during the days leading to Election Day.
With many more concerned parents since revelations of critical race theory, gender ideology, and equity proliferating in K-12 schools, school boards across the country are flipping conservative.
School board races used be characterized by a low turnout of voters and non-contested races.
Since 2021, educational reform has been an issue of great importance to parents and conservatives looking to shield their children from leftist enlightenment and unwelcome medical treatments.
