Newcomers defeat two Broward County School Board members appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis
Two Broward County School Board members appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis were defeated in an election Tuesday night.
Former Broward County Schools social worker Rebecca Lynne Larew Thompson defeated incumbent Torey Alston, receiving 66% of the votes with all 49 precincts reporting as of 9 p.m., according to unofficial results posted on the Broward County Board of Supervisors website. Lawyer Maura McCarthy Bulman ousted the second DeSantis appointee, Daniel Foganholi, receiving 51% of the votes with all 49 precincts reporting as of 9 p.m., according to the website.
Alston, a former Broward County commissioner, was one of four people appointed to the school board in August 2022 when DeSantis suspended four sitting members in the wake of a grand jury report and recommendation regarding the school district’s response to the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School mass shooting, specifically mismanagement of the district’s $1 billion school-safety program.
Alston and Foganholi were among five DeSantis appointees who had voted in 2022 to fire former Broward Schools Superintendent Vickie Cartwright, who endured a lengthy back-and-forth over her tenure before she parted ways with the district in early 2023.
Foganholi was twice appointed to the school board, first in April 2022 to fill the seat vacated by Rosalind Osgood, who stepped down in March to run for the Florida Senate. He was appointed again in December 2022, replacing Rodney “Rod” Velez, whom voters elected that year but who couldn’t hold office because of a criminal conviction.
In the District 3 school board race, incumbent Sarah Leonardi defeated challenger Jason Lee Loring, with 70% of the vote as of 9 p.m. In the District 5 and 9 school board races, incumbents Jeff Holness and Debra Hixon defeated their respective challengers, Windsor D. Ferguson Jr. and Tom Vasquez. Holness and Hixon had 76% and 71% of the votes by 9 p.m., respectively.
Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony wins Democratic primary
Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony inched one step closer to reelection Tuesday night, defeating three Democratic challengers for the top cop spot.
Tony beat out Steven Andrew Geller, David Howard and Alvin Pollack with 50% of the votes with 354 of 358 precincts reporting as of 9 p.m., according to preliminary results posted on the Broward County Supervisor of Elections website.
He will face independent challenger Charles Edward Whatley, a former law enforcement officer and Marine veteran, in November.
Tony’s primary win follows several major controversies, including revelations that he had lied on past law enforcement applications and driver’s license applications and that he had killed an 18-year-old man when he was a teenager. An investigation revealed that on a Coral Springs job application, he was deceptive about the killing, ticking the “no” boxes when asked if he’d killed anyone, been arrested for a crime or fought with a weapon.
Tony was first appointed sheriff in 2019 by DeSantis after he suspended former Sheriff Scott Israel in the aftermath of the Parkland school shooting. In 2020, Tony ran and defeated Israel in a race in which the issues about Tony’s past were brought to the forefront.
The accusations led to a Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation that lasted 18 months. Tony was not charged in the case because records involving the deadly shooting were too difficult to find and the case was too long ago, the Miami Herald previously reported. Tony has said the shooting was in self-defense.
READ MORE: Accused of fibbing on driver’s license applications, Broward sheriff faces reprimand
In May, a judge ruled that Tony should receive a written reprimand, be required to complete ethics training and be placed on an 18-month probationary status for lying multiple times on his driver’s license applications.
Despite the investigations, Tony remained a frontrunner in the race and raised more than $137,000 dollars for his campaign. He has recently advocated for more funding for a new training facility.
Tony will face Whatley on Nov. 5.
This story was originally published August 20, 2024 at 9:27 PM.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly characterized former Broward Schools Superintendent Vickie Cartwright’s departure. Cartwright left after reaching a mutual separation agreement with the district.
