Gov. Ron DeSantis targets 'woke' Sarasota School Board member for 2024 election

[Zorro]

In the 2022 elections, three conservative candidates backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis' endorsements easily won seats on the Sarasota County School Board. Now, the governor is targeting the last Democrat remaining on the board.

During a strategy session Tuesday with Florida House Speaker Paul Renner, Florida GOP Chairman Christian Ziegler, and Tina Descovich and Tiffany Justice, co-founders of the conservative activist group Moms for Liberty, DeSantis announced his 2024 school board target list. The list included Edwards and 13 other school board members in Florida the governor said do not protect parental rights or protect students from "woke" ideologies. Christian Ziegler's wife, Sarasota School Board Chairwoman Bridget Ziegler, was also a co-founder of Moms for Liberty and received DeSantis' backing in her re-election campaign last year.

Edwards finds himself often as the dissenting vote on Sarasota School Board decisions, with the conservative majority comprised of Ziegler, Tim Enos, Robyn Marinelli and Karen Rose. Each of the four are registered Republicans, while Edwards is a Democrat.

Edwards said he wasn't sure why DeSantis would target him or see him as a threat since he said conservatives already control the board.

https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/politics/2023/02/22/sarasota-school-board-member-tom-edwards-is-desantis-election-target/69931908007/

DeSantis continues to burnish his fascist credentials.

[Bleacher Creature]

1. Imagine being responsible for a state of 22M people and spending 100% of your time on a dumb gimmick

[ProudMNDemocrat]

2. DeSatan wants UNANIMOUS decisions when it comes to Education.

As well as how School Boards set curriculum in the schools to be what he wants them to be.

That is DICKtatorship. DeSatan thinks himself one and some Republican Governors are paying attention.

[louis-t]

3. Who determines what 'woke' is?

[Freethinker65]

4. Undereducated non-critical thinking public school students. Permanent service class.

Curious where the wealthy, that still have young children of their own, send their children to school. Bet "woke" curriculum is alive and well where the knowledge is seen as being advantageous for opportunities for their kids.

[Timeflyer]

5. Edwards the dem is hard-working, intelligent, and brave enough to oppose the dictator DeSantis.

The two other sane SB members were defeated in 2022 school board election by heavy policking from DeSantis and the Proud Boys, with help from their ladies auxiliary, Moms for Bigotry. DeSantis personally came to town and campaigned for his chosen conservative candidates (on our tax-payer dime, no doubt).

Edwards and the two former board members were brave enough, and cared enough about the health of students, staff and community to stick to their decision to have masking in public schools during a DEADLY pandemic. That went against the wishes of DeSantis to open the state up, death and disease be damned--collateral damage. So DeSantis must punish them, and Edwards is still standing, now with a big target on his back.