Former Republican U.S. Rep. David Jolly, now running a Democratic campaign for Florida governor, signaled during a Sarasota event that education would be a priority during his run to put a Democrat in charge of the Sunshine State for the first time this century.
The Tampa-area politician hosted about 20 public education advocates Dec. 11 at the downtown restaurant Rosemary & Thyme in a closed-door gathering attended by Suncoast Searchlight. Jolly was joined by former Democratic U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham, herself a former gubernatorial candidate who had served with Jolly in Congress.
Jolly is campaigning amid rising concerns over the expansion of school vouchers and the implementation of the controversial Schools of Hope law that allows charter operators to occupy space inside underused public school facilities.
His stop in Sarasota is no coincidence.
Sarasota County Schools has emerged as a model for how districts can get out in front of the Schools of Hope law. Facing the prospect of charter operators claiming space inside their schools, district leaders last month approved a sweeping reclassification of classroom capacity across multiple campuses — an overhaul OK’ed by the state Department of Education. That move gave the district leverage to deny subsequent co-location requests at Emma E. Booker Elementary and Brookside Middle.
Sarasota County also has been a flashpoint in Florida’s education wars because of its connection to Moms for Liberty, a right-wing advocacy group that has gained national attention for its campaigns against diversity programming and transgender inclusion. One of the group’s founders, Bridget Ziegler, serves on the Sarasota County School Board, where the organization’s influence has shaped debates over pandemic-era policies, books and curriculum, and race and gender.
“Sarasota, arguably, is ground zero for much of this debate,” Jolly told Suncoast Searchlight after the event. “We saw the Moms for Liberty movement emerge in Sarasota in a way that it has in very few parts of the state, but we also then saw the response to that emerge here in Sarasota.”
Jolly’s record on education is more complicated — he supported voucher programs while in Congress and uses them to help cover his children’s private, religious education — but he has also said reforming the program will be a focus of his campaign.
During the discussion in Sarasota, he proposed reintroducing means testing to the state’s school voucher system after what he said was a ballooning of the education budget following vouchers’ widespread use.
Education “could be one of the big issues in the Florida governor's race, and particularly for Democrats,” said Aubrey Jewett, a professor of political science at the University of Central Florida. Whether Jolly will be able to convince the Democratic base that he has sincerely evolved on topics like school vouchers is a separate question.
“It’s the same challenge that Charlie Crist faced,” Jewett said. “Even though he did win the primary, and go on to get toasted in the general, it was a challenge for him the whole way.”
Crist, a former Republican who served as Florida’s governor from 2007-2011, switched parties and won the 2022 Democratic gubernatorial primary but lost to incumbent Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in the general election.
Jolly left the Republican Party in 2018 and registered as a Democrat in April of this year. He will face a tough race for the party’s nomination, with Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings also gathering support for a run at the governor’s mansion.
The competition will be stiff in the general election, too, where education is likely to be a key talking point.
Republican U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds of Naples is widely seen as a frontrunner for the Republican gubernatorial nomination but faces increasing scrutiny over a charter school company that his wife, Erika Donalds, planned to open in Fort Myers. After hiring teaching staff and enrolling students, CBS reported earlier this month, the school never opened. Donalds, who has received an endorsement from President Donald Trump, and his wife, are prominent advocates for school privatization and charters.
Former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives Paul Renner also announced a Republican campaign for governor. He has touted his role in expanding vouchers in Florida through the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program that eliminated financial eligibility requirements for wealthier families seeking vouchers, among other changes.
During the event in Sarasota, Jolly also advocated for increasing teachers’ wages “not 3% but 30%” and manifesting a “10-year renaissance” for public education, floating the idea of diverting tourism development dollars to pay for that vision.
Graham, who previously served as an assistant secretary of education of legislative and congressional affairs in President Joe Biden’s administration, voiced support for Jolly’s candidacy.
The pair has hosted several campaign events in recent days leading to speculation that Graham could be the frontrunner to be Jolly’s lieutenant governor.
“That is a decision for David to make in the future,” she said. “I am here and will help David in whatever way he wants me to help.”
Graham, the daughter of popular Democratic Gov. Bob Graham, who served from 1979-1987 and died last year at the age of 87, supported Jolly’s education proposals. She said she’s been having a lot of fun on the campaign trail meeting with passionate people fighting for traditional public education.
“I don’t think education should be determined by how much money you’re going to make on the backs of students,” she said. “The reality is that’s where we are today.”
Jolly told the group in Sarasota that he would act on day one by replacing Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo with someone who accepts scientific consensus on vaccinations as well as overturning DeSantis’ executive orders that impact public education.
“Bring back the books, bring back real history and, yes, bring back all the rich and great diversity in the state of Florida,” Jolly told the group. “Accept people for who they love and who they worship and the color of their skin and where they were born and recognize that as a strength, not a weakness.”
Sarasota School Board Member Tom Edwards, one of only two attendees at the private event besides the candidate and potential running mate who agreed to be identified, said he viewed Jolly’s message favorably.
Edwards said he was not worried about Jolly’s former association with the Republican Party, noting that people in office can change their opinions. But he said it was too early for him to endorse Jolly in the race, although he noted he’s open to doing so in the future.
“I’m tired of living in the world of extremes — whether it's right or left,” Edwards said. “We need good moderate compromises that are based on common values.”
This story was produced by Suncoast Searchlight, a nonprofit newsroom of the Community News Collaborative serving Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto counties. Learn more at suncoastsearchlight.org.
Editor's note: Suncoast Searchlight reviewed its reporting process and says it does not use generative AI in its stories. If you have questions about their policies or content, contact Executive Editor-In-Chief Emily Le Coz at emily@suncoastsearchlight.org.
