Ron DeSantis endorses Tony Ricardo in Duval County School Board race

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is trying to influence the race for a Duval County School Board seat, officially endorsing Tony Ricardo in the District 1 race.

“I’m happy to endorse Tony Ricardo for school board in Duval County,” DeSantis said in a prepared news release.

“Tony is a candidate who is committed to fighting for schools to get back to the fundamentals. Tony has pledged to serve on (the) school board with a focus on student success, parental rights, and curriculum transparency. We want the best for our children and I’m confident Tony will build upon the success we’ve had here in Florida.”

The District 1 School Board seat in Duval County is being vacated by Kelly Coker. The Duval County School Board races are nonpartisan, and Ricardo is squaring off against Nadine Ebri in the Aug. 20 Primary. Ebri has been an educator in Duval County for a decade.

Ebri has her own stable of endorsements, including the Jacksonville Association of Firefighters, Duval Teachers United, the Jacksonville National Organization for Women and about a half dozen other organizations and politicians who have backed her run for School Board.

DeSantis has been active in multiple county School Board races in an effort to swing those educational panels in a more conservative direction. DeSantis has targeted two particular School Board seats in Duval County.

Ricardo, a former high school teacher in Duval County, welcomed the backing from Florida’s Governor.

“It is an honor to have the endorsement of Governor Ron DeSantis in my race for Duval County School Board,” Ricardo said.

“Under his leadership, Florida has made incredible strides to make our state the best place for families and their students to pursue an education that is best suited to their individual needs and free from woke rhetoric. On the School Board, I look forward to putting our Duval County students first and supporting the governor’s work to keep Florida the No. 1 state in education.”