Sarasota County School Board Likely to Have Shift in Political Leaning as Democrats Win the Primary

Democrats Jimmy Glover and Beth Mayberry captured the most votes in the primary for Sarasota County school board Districts 1 and 5, respectively, signaling a shift in the conservative majority board that was once a battleground for Moms for Liberty-championed culture issues. Megan Tennimon also won the most votes in District 4 against opponent Frank Dicicco, making her the sole candidate on the general election ballot. All three seats were held by conservative incumbents — Bridget Ziegler, Robyn Marinelli and Karen Rose — who chose not to run for reelection.

The races come amid a steady decline in Moms for Liberty's influence in its home state, after internal conflict led to the dissolution of its Florida chapters and legislative committee by 2023, and most of its endorsed candidates lost by 2024. Brown Center on Education Policy director Jon Valant said the group's association had become more of a liability than an asset for candidates in low-turnout school board races. Former District 5 board member Jane Goodwin, who served from 2010 to 2022 and watched the board grow more politically divided, said she hopes new members will prioritize public education over politics; she also switched her own party affiliation from Republican to Democrat near the end of her tenure.

All the winning candidates pledged to keep the board focused on students, teachers and parents rather than politics, with Glover saying children "shouldn't have been caught in the middle of these political fights," and Mayberry saying she wants the board to push back on state mandates while being transparent with the community about the district's finances.