Ryan Nicol
Alexandria Suarez, a former Republican House candidate, confirmed her bid for the District 5 seat on the Monroe County School Board.
“I’m very excited to start our campaign for the Monroe County School Board,” Suarez said Monday.
“Parents deserve their input on important choices in our public education system and, as a parent and former teacher myself, I look forward to being their voice when elected. I will work hard with our community’s parents, students, teachers, fellow School Board members and other stakeholders to ensure that Monroe County students lead the state and nation in education.”
Sue Woltanski currently represents District 5. Woltanski has supported instituting a mandatory masking policy for students. In a vote last week, she was the only member of the five-person body to vote in favor of such a policy. The other four board members opposed a mandate.
Now, Suarez is seeking to challenge Woltanski.
“I’m pursuing this office because I’m committed to the issues important to students and parents in my community,” Suarez said. “I look forward to sharing my message on the campaign trail in the coming months.”
Suarez competed in a close three-way GOP Primary last year for the House District 120 seat, which covers parts of Monroe County. She placed third, earning just over 30% of the vote. But she was close behind now-Rep. Jim Mooney, who earned 35% support, and Rhonda Rebman Lopez, who secured just over 34% of the vote.
Suarez is a lawyer who works as an assistant state attorney in Monroe County. As a single mother, Suarez worked to become a teacher after attending Florida International University. She taught English at Glades Middle School for nine years. Suarez also worked for eight years as a pharmaceutical sales consultant with AstraZeneca.
Woltanski joined the School Board after a 2018 win when former Board Member Ron Martin announced he would retire. She has not yet filed paperwork to officially launch her 2022 bid.
