School Boards

Among other measures, Florida voters rejected ballot measures that would have enshrined abortion rights, legalized recreational marijuana, and established partisan school board elections.

Each proposal needs a 60% supermajority to be approved and each has sparked intense statewide campaigns.

Derek Barrs will take an open seat on the Flagler County School Board in northeast Florida, succeeding a member who resigned in September. That allowed DeSantis to appoint a replacement rather than have the seat go on the ballot for voters to decide. Barrs won DeSantis’ endorsement in his bid for the board. But he lost his Aug. 20 race by 290 votes to Janie Ruddy, a former teacher in the district.

Attorney General Ashley Moody wanted the Florida Supreme Court to resolve a legal battle about whether local agencies could pursue lawsuits after she reached settlements with the pharmaceutical industry.

Florida has had nonpartisan school board elections since 1998. If the amendment that Roach sponsored passes in November, it will restrict No Party Affiliation voters from choosing candidates in primary elections.

This week on The Florida Roundup, we discussed the primary results in this week’s school board races, a proposed amendment that asks Florida voters to decide whether to make school board elections partisan, claims from the DNC, a roundup of environmental news from the weekend and a Florida athlete on the Wheaties box.

School board elections in Florida are nonpartisan, but this November, voters will get to decide if they want to change that.

School board elections in Florida are nonpartisan, but this November voters will get to decide if they want to change to partisan elections.

School board elections in Florida are nonpartisan, but this November voters will get to decide if they want to change to partisan elections.

Republicans have managed to increase their party's control over all but 12 of Florida’s 67 county school boards, according to a new analysis of election data. The GOP’s control has increased from 44 counties to 55 in just a few years.

They include the abortion and recreational marijuana initiatives the Florida Supreme Court signed off on, along with partisan school board elections.

A proposed constitutional amendment requiring partisan elections for school board members on or after November 2026 is on this year's ballot. The measure would also apply to the primaries for the 2026 general election.