Katie Blaxberg, a former Chris Latvala legislative staffer who identifies as a supporter of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ education agenda, has filed to run for the Pinellas County School Board seat held by Carol Cook.
Cook says he hasn’t decided whether to run for re-election to the seat after serving on the board since 2000, but said his decision could depend in part on who runs to replace- the. He has said in the past that he had no desire to extend his term on the board.
DeSantis got heavily involved in school races last year and has vowed to do the same in 2024, including listing the school board members he hopes to oust. But Cook, who has taken a moderate stance on the “parents’ rights” movement and other initiatives by conservatives hoping to revamp Florida’s public education, is not one of DeSantis’ handpicked.
Blaxberg, 42, of Clearwater, is a lifelong Floridian who has lived in the Tampa Bay area since attending the University of South Florida, he said.
She has had stints as a teacher and real estate agent in addition to working for Latvala during her last term as a member of the State House, taking career breaks to raise her three children.
She left the legislative job after he left because of term limits and won a county commission seat.
Her two older children go to a private school and her youngest is homeschooled, she said.
She said she is a strong supporter of “school choice,” including the bill championed by DeSantis to offer private school vouchers to all Florida parents, despite the possibility that some private schools could increase registration to take advantage of the voucher money.
Children, including her own, she said, “have very different learning styles,” and “I want parents to be able to choose what’s right for our kids.”
He said he developed “a passion for government work in general” and “saw that the most change can be made at the local level” while working for Latvala when he served as chairman of the education committee of the Chamber
Asked if she’s willing to run against Cook, she praised the incumbent but said regardless of whether Cook runs again, “I’m running in District 5 and that’s my plan.”
DeSantis recently relinquished control of his PAC, Friends of Ron DeSantis, to political ally Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, R-Spring Hill, and changed its name to Empower Parents. Ingoglia has said the PAC’s more than $80 million in cash could be used in local races.
Blaxberg said he hasn’t discussed his career with anyone related to DeSantis and doesn’t know if he could get their support.
Andrew Warren receives awards
It’s no secret that Andrew Warren became a hero to some, including Democrats and progressives, when Governor Ron DeSantis removed him from his position as Hillsborough County state’s attorney.
But a series of awards given to Warren recently underscore that.
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Last week, Warren received the Hillsborough County Bar Association’s annual Professionalism and Pro Bono (No Fee) Service Award from the criminal law section. The award is named after the late Marcelino “Bubba” Huerta, a much-loved icon of the Tampa legal community.
In April, he received the Delano Stewart Diversity Award, named for a pioneering black attorney and civil rights activist, from the George Edgecomb Bar Association, Tampa’s largest predominantly African-American legal association.
Association President Cornelius Demps said Warren was under consideration for the award before he was removed from the post in August, and that Warren’s co-recipient was Jeria Wilds, who worked under Warren as chief of the Division of Courts for the Solution of Problems. He said the award reflected “efforts to increase diversity, equity and inclusion” at the office.
In March, Warren received the William Reece Smith Jr. Public Service Award. from the Stetson University School of Law for “individuals who have rendered exceptional service to the legal profession and the community.” It is named after Smith, a former Tampa city attorney, interim president of the University of South Florida, first president of Florida Legal Services, and energetic civic activist.
Lisa Baker McLean posts a great first month
Lisa Baker McLean posted a strong first month of fundraising in her campaign for Hillsborough County public defender, but she and her primary Democratic opponent, Rocky Brancato, could soon face significant Republican competition .
The result could be the first seriously contested race for the office in two decades.
Brancato, the bureau’s chief of operations and crime bureau manager, has been considered by some to be the favorite for the post in part because of support from incumbent Julianne Holt.
Holt, who is active and popular in the local Democratic Party, has been in office since 1987, first appointed and then, since 1992, elected. He has not faced a serious challenge since 2004.
McLean posted $56,550 in fundraising since his April 3 filing, though that total was boosted by $20,000 of his own money.
Brancato, meanwhile, has raised $29,875 plus a $10,000 personal loan.
Meanwhile, local Republicans have encouraged Circuit Judge Mark Wolfe to run, according to GOP legal community insider Clif Curry, and some are confident he will.
But, these experts say, Wolfe cannot start a campaign or speak openly about it while still on the bench for ethical reasons; has declined to comment on its plans.
