Charter schools run by the for-profit company Academica want to set up inside dozens of Tampa Bay area public schools, and hundreds statewide, according to a slew of notices sent out the week of November 10, 2025.
Some districts see this is as a bid to operate for free in taxpayer-funded school buildings, with most of the charters' expenses paid for by public schools. Two Sarasota school board members have described Schools of Hope as a “hostile takeover” and “grift.”
Charter school advocates dismiss those concerns, and say it’s simply a way to expand education choices for children and their families.
“Real estate is hard to find — affordable real estate in the state of Florida, especially for non-district schools. We've seen the growth of charters, micro schools, home schooling, private schools," said Lynn Norman-Teck, executive director of the Florida Charter School Alliance. "I think it's a natural next step for schools to look around and say, okay, so what is available?”
“I definitely don't think it's a takeover. I think it's a great opportunity to have a discussion about where public education is today, and how do quality providers meet the needs and demands of parents of today's parent,” she added.
Norman-Teck leads a membership organization which counts Somerset Academy, Mater Academy and BridgePrep Academy among its members. They sent “notice” letters to dozens of Tampa Bay area schools seeking space to establish their own charters in under-enrolled schools.
Only Mater Academy is on the state’s list of approved Schools of Hope charters, however, so the other letters may be considered invalid.
Among the problems cited by district leaders include how the new law allows just 20 days to respond, and how a district’s only recourse is to argue “material impracticability.”
According to Florida Department of Education document, Rule 6A-1.0998271 of the Florida Administrative Code, “the school district must permit a School of Hope to have the practical and effective use of all or part of an educational facility at no cost.”
That includes “without limitation, custodial services, maintenance services, school safety services, food services, nursing services, and student transportation,” according to the document.
When asked about the law’s requirement that public schools pay fees for the co-locating charters, Norman-Teck said “this is all theoretical in Florida, but I know in other states, charter school operators — or a charter school — will pay for maintenance and upkeep of a building.”
She said she believes further guidelines and clarifications will come in the next few months, but added: “I have to be honest, I don't think co-location works very well. I don't think anybody wants to be co-located.”
State representative Robin Bartleman (D-Weston), has blasted the Florida schools of hope expansion as “a power grab, a real estate grab for charter school companies.”
Senator Darryl Rouson (D-St. Petersburg) has filed a bill to remove the language in the law that allows co-location. It was inserted late in the 2025 legislative session.
"It’s an unfunded mandate and a burden on public schools to be required to exist in the same space as charter schools, in a sense paying the cost for the charter school to operate,” he said, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
Representatives of the charters that sent letters to Tampa Bay area schools have not responded to requests for comment.
Many of the letters came from charters that operate under the Florida-based for-profit company, Academica, which operates tuition-free charters like Somerset and Mater Academy.
Academica is the largest education management organization in the country.
“We have sent hundreds of letters because hundreds of the districts' facilities are under-enrolled. Our objective isn't to provide programs in all those facilities — far from it. At most, we will open a handful of schools for the 2027-28 school year,” said a statement posted on Academica’s website.
“We will rescind notices for locations that will not be used once we determine in which schools we will co-locate.”
List of schools
Here are the schools in the Tampa Bay region that were sent notices the week of November 10, 2025:
Hillsborough: 22 schools in Hillsborough County received notices.
Adams Middle
Broward Elementary
Burnett Middle
Chamberlain Senior High
Cleveland Elementary
Dowdell Middle
Dr. Carter G Woodson K-8
Edison Elementary
Ferrell Middle Magnet
Franklin Middle
Graham Elementary
James Elementary
Kenneth E. Adum K-8
King Senior High
Lomax Elementary
Monroe Elementary
Oak Park Elementary
Seffner Elementary
Smith Middle
Town and Country Elementary
Washington Elementary
Young Middle
“It is important to note that, under the current law, no Hillsborough County Public Schools site would be affected until at least the 2027–2028 school year,” said district spokeswoman Tanya Arja.
“Our district will review each letter in accordance with the timeline outlined in the statute. However, we have concerns about the potential impact on our students, staff, and communities. The district will respond to these inquiries and will object to any request that is based on incorrect assumptions or presents material impracticability.”
Pasco: 6 schools in Pasco County received notices from Mater Academy and Somerset Academy. Somerset is not an approved School of Hope operator and its bid to become one was removed from the state department of education agenda last week.
Crews Lake Middle School
Lacoochee Elementary
Rodney B. Cox Elementary
Wendell Krinn Technical High School
West Pasco Education Academy
Mittye P. Locke Achievement Academy
Pinellas: 37 schools in Pinellas County received “building notices.” Three different charters sent them, including Somerset, BridgePrep and Mater Academy.
Azalea Elementary
Bardmoor Elementary
Bay Point Middle
Boca Ciega High
Bear Creek Elementary
Bayside High
Blanton Elementary
Cross Bayou Elementary
Dunedin Highland Middle
Gulfport Elementary
Joseph L Carwise Middle
Johns Hopkins Middle
Kings Highway Elementary Magnet
Lealman Innovation Academy
Lynch Elementary
Madeira Beach Fundamental
Mangrove Bay Middle
McMullen Booth Elementary
Meadowlawn Middle
Morgan Fitzgerald Middle
Oak Grove Middle
Osceola Middle
Palm Harbor Middle
Pinellas Central Elementary
Pinellas High Innovation
Pinellas Park Middle
Ridgecrest Elementary
Safety Harbor Middle
Sandy Lane Elementary
Seminole Elementary
Seminole Middle
Skycrest Elementary
Tarpon Springs Middle
Tyrone Middle
Thurgood Marshall Fundamental Middle
Woodlawn Elementary
Pinellas County did not provide any comment from district leadership. A series of town hall meetings to gather public input has been scheduled.
- Monday, Nov. 17 – Largo High School, from 5:30 to 7 p.m
- Tuesday, Dec. 2 – Dunedin High School, from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
- Thursday, Dec. 4 – Hollins High School, from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
- Tuesday, Dec. 9 – Lakewood High School, from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
Polk: The Lakeland Ledger reports 27 schools have received notices. WUSF has filed a public records request with the district for more details.
Manatee: Two schools in Manatee, the Sara Scott Harllee Center and Lincoln Middle School, received formal notifications from two charter operators, Mater Academy, Inc. and Somerset Academy, Inc.
“It is important to note that these letters are notifications of interest — not confirmation that a School of Hope will open at these sites. The district has not met with representatives from the charter operators, nor are any meetings scheduled at this time,” said a statement from Manatee County Schools communications director Jamie Carson.
“The School District of Manatee County is preparing a timely response to these notifications in accordance with Florida Statutes,” she added. “The district supports parental choice, and our priority remains providing a productive learning environment and the highest quality education for every student in Manatee County.”
Sarasota: Two schools in Sarasota, Brookside Middle and Emma E. Booker Elementary, received notices.
But Sarasota has rolled out a plan to boost enrollment at Brookside by expanding it to a K-8 magnet school, while Emma E. Booker Elementary is expected to have a Junior Achievement BizTown element added to its unused buildings.
“These requests are materially impractical now that the Future Focused Strategic Initiative has been fully approved and implementation is underway,” said superintendent Terry Connor.
“This initiative includes specific facility uses, programmatic expansions, and capital projects that directly impact the space and operations of both campuses. Under the law, school districts may submit formal objections based on material impracticability, and Sarasota County Schools intends to exercise this right within the required timelines,” he added.
