Florida school board contest turns personal as candidates trade allegations
Brittany Lyssy, a lawyer and former local Young Republicans president, and Daniela Simic, a veteran educator, are competing for a Hillsborough County school board seat in Florida. The supposedly non-partisan race has been overshadowed by personal attacks and allegations, shifting attention from education, staffing and school budgets.
Questions have been raised about whether Lyssy lives in the district, as well as her former group’s invitation to Andrew and Tristan Tate; she says she lives in Tampa and had left the group before the invitation. Simic has been attacked in campaign material over an endorsement by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which the mailer linked to the Ku Klux Klan. The article also describes disputes involving family homes and the candidates’ personal lives.
- A Florida school board race has turned sharply personal.
- Lyssy disputes questions about her district residence.
- Simic has faced attacks over an endorser’s alleged links.
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Hillsborough County is a large school district in Florida, responsible for local public schools, staffing and budgets. Its elected school board sets policy and oversees the district, so members’ decisions affect pupils, families and school employees.
The seat is contested by Brittany Lyssy, a lawyer and former local Young Republicans president, and Daniela Simic, a veteran educator. Although the election is officially non-partisan, candidates run without party labels on the ballot; their backgrounds and endorsements can still become part of the campaign.
Questions about where candidates live and who has supported them can matter because voters are choosing a representative for a particular district. Personal disputes have also drawn attention away from school issues such as staffing and spending, which the board is responsible for overseeing.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Glossy candidates face off in nasty battle for Florida school board seat as incredibly personal attacks fly in both directions”.