Associated Press
A School Board candidate who lost his race in a county south of Jacksonville will get a seat on the Board anyway, after Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis tapped him to fill a vacancy.
Derek Barrs will take an open seat on the Flagler County School Board in Northeast Florida, succeeding a member who resigned in September, allowing DeSantis to appoint a replacement rather than the seat going on the ballot for voters to decide.
Barrs is a consultant with infrastructure design firm HNTB and a retired Chief of the Florida Highway Patrol who campaigned with a focus on school safety and student achievement. He won DeSantis’ endorsement in his bid for the Board but lost his Aug. 20 race by 290 votes to Janie Ruddy, a former teacher in the District.
DeSantis has done more to influence local education policies and politics than any Florida Governor in recent memory. In the name of “parental rights”, DeSantis has banned instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity and limited what Florida schools can teach about racism and U.S. history, and he’s both endorsed a slate of his preferred candidates and targeted incumbent members he wants voted out.
“Derek is a candidate who is committed to fighting for schools to get back to the fundamentals,” DeSantis said in his endorsement of Barrs. “Derek has pledged to serve on the school board with a focus on student success, parental rights, and curriculum transparency.”
In an interview with The Associated Press, Barrs pushed back on the assertion that he might owe DeSantis his political allegiance on the Board, saying he’s focused on building relationships across the community and improving outcomes for all students.
Under state law, the Governor can appoint someone to fill a vacant state or county seat if there’s less than 28 months left in the term for that office.
It’s not the first time a DeSantis-endorsed School Board candidate has lost their race and been elevated into office anyway.
In August, the Governor tapped Daniel Foganholi for a slot on the State Board of Education after he lost his bid to keep his seat on the Broward County School Board by more than 30%. DeSantis had appointed Foganholi to the Fort Lauderdale-area School Board two times, though Foganholi never won an election to the body.
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Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
13 comments
Biden is Garbage
October 31, 2024 at 5:47 pm
Those are the rules. Cry about it blue cultist freaks.
MarvinM
October 31, 2024 at 11:25 pm
Meanwhile, go enjoy something. Maybe Vincent Price narrating a Washington Irving or Edgar Allen Poe story for the season.
Enjoy Dio de los Muertos!
Dont Say FLA
November 1, 2024 at 7:56 am
Wow, BIG-gy Smalls, you finally commented something that is not somewhere between “wildly inaccurate” and “influenced opinion.” What is happening? Are you okay?
This person having lost the race for school board doesn’t disqualify them from being appointed to the school board.
When a Governor who doesn’t care what their governed thinks about somebody, that Governor will appoint that person to a position for which the voters declined that person.
Them’s the rules, and in a supermajority run state government, some folks are gonna take advantage of such rules no matter how foul the smell.
Donald Trump Raped Ivana Trump
November 1, 2024 at 12:43 pm
An ironic comment, thanks for the laugh, loser.
Why is this Guy such a loser?
November 3, 2024 at 8:11 am
Indeed they are. But blue cult? hahahahahahaha. The orange Turd owns all these losers including Ronny DeeSatanist.
Their fate is already sewn. It’s coming. Floridians are finally starting to see the Donald Trump party and it’s not our fault when shit breaks but we’ll take credit when something does work is all BS.
Scott – DeSantis-Goetz- the list goes on. All targets of Blue money.
KathrynA
October 31, 2024 at 9:17 pm
What does that comment have to do with the above story?
White Spiteful Devil Rapist Trump
October 31, 2024 at 10:06 pm
A special place in hurricane hell, Hurricane Patty will be knocking on your door in a week
Michael K
November 1, 2024 at 2:51 am
So the guy lost his election but the governor is appointing him anyway?
Tom
November 1, 2024 at 7:26 am
It’s Florida. The cronyism is baked in and elections have consequences for better or worse. The dems would be stupid not to do the same thing given the chance.
Earl Pitts AMERICAN
November 1, 2024 at 6:45 am
Thank you, Ron, for your sage wisdom,
Earl Pitts AMERICAN
Guuuurl Pitts AMERICAN
November 1, 2024 at 6:55 am
Haaaaay Earl!
Jojo
November 1, 2024 at 7:30 am
“ I don’t owe anybody anything”.
Oh really? Just your job.
Yet another DeSantes lacky
Dont Say FLA
November 1, 2024 at 7:51 am
Friends in high places are in high places. This guy’s friend is just somebody in Florida’s GOP which is equally as low and full of reptiles as Alligator Alley.
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