Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Education News in Florida

Ron DeSantis Suspends Four Members of the Broward County School Board

At the end of last week, Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended Broward School Board Members Patricia Good, Donna Korn, Ann Murray and Laurie Rich Levinson from office following the recommendations of the Twentieth Statewide Grand Jury to suspend these board members due to their incompetence, neglect of duty, and misuse of authority.

Four years after the events of February 14, 2018, the final report of the Grand Jury found that a safety-related alarm that could have possibly saved lives at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School “was and is such a low priority that it remains uninstalled at multiple schools,” and “students continue to be educated in unsafe, aging, decrepit, moldy buildings that were supposed to have been renovated years ago.”

“These are inexcusable actions by school board members who have shown a pattern of emboldening unacceptable behavior, including fraud and mismanagement, across the district,” the governor’s office noted.

“It is my duty to suspend people from office when there is clear evidence of incompetence, neglect of duty, misfeasance or malfeasance,” said DeSantis. “The findings of the Statewide Grand Jury affirm the work of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas School Safety Commission. We are grateful to the members of the jury who have dedicated countless hours to this mission and we hope this suspension brings the Parkland community another step towards justice. This action is in the best interest of the residents and students of Broward County and all citizens of Florida.”

DeSantis also named four appointments to the Broward County School Board in the place of the four suspended members:

Torey Alston, former Commissioner of the Broward County Board of County Commissioners and President of Indelible Solutions;

Manual “Nandy” A. Serrano, member of the Florida Sports Foundation Board of Directors, and CEO and Founder of Clubhouse Private Wealth;

Ryan Reiter, a U.S. Marine Corps Veteran and Director of Government Relations for Kaufman Lynn Construction; and

Kevin Tynan, Attorney with Richardson and Tynan, who previously served on the Broward County School Board and South Broward Hospital District.

The Twentieth Statewide Grand Jury was impaneled by the Florida Supreme Court in February 2019, following the tragic loss of 17 individuals at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School one year prior. The Statewide Grand Jury was asked to examine four issues, including whether public entities and school officials committed fraud and deceit by mismanaging funds devoted to school safety. In its final report, the statewide grand jury found that these board members mismanaged the SMART Program, a multimillion-dollar bond specifically solicited for school safety and renovation initiatives. The Statewide Grand Jury also found that the Board was aware of serious problems with the SMART Program, including former Superintendent Runcie’s inability or unwillingness to manage those problems, yet did not take action. In concluding and issuing its final report, the Statewide Grand Jury recommended the suspension of four current school board members from office. The Statewide Grand Jury also mentioned a now-former fifth school board member, Rosalind Osgood, who is no longer working as a school board member, and is therefore not subject to the Governor’s executive suspension authority.

Author

  • Florida Daily offers news, insights and analysis as we cover the most important issues in the state, from education, to business and politics.

    View all posts
Share Story Via Text, E-Mail, Facebook or Twitter

Follow Us on Social Media

Archives

Related Stories

Governor Ron DeSantis

The conservative Libertarian think tank CATO Institute, released its Report Card covering the governors in all 50 states.It examines issues from the state budgets,...

Governor Ron DeSantis

As Florida recovers from its second hurricane in the last four weeks, Democrats the state are criticizing Ron DeSantis’ management of recovery efforts. “He...

Florida News

PALMETTO, Fla.— On Monday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced the award of $9.5 million to SeaPort Manatee to jumpstart its recovery and help repair impacted...

Florida News

As Floridians deal with the cleanup after Hurricane Helene and Milton, another storm may be on the horizon, and this one may be a political disturbance, not...

Political News

Florida’s U.S. Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott sent a letter to President Joe Biden urging his immediate approval of the State of Florida’s...

Florida Government & Politics

As communities across Florida’s Gulf Coast recover from Hurricane Helene, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. Marco Rubio and Sen. Rick Scott are meeting with...

Florida Government & Politics

With pools, lakes, rivers and coastline near every household, the risk of drowning is prevalent across the Sunshine State, and a leading cause of...

Economy News

At a recent roundtable on condo costs, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis heard pleas from condo owners on large assessments they are facing due to...