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August 21, 2026
Sarasota County voters have reversed the conservative stranglehold on their school board by formally rejecting a coalition established by Gov. Ron DeSantis and activist group Moms for Liberty.
Conservatives secured a 4-1 supermajority on the five-person board in 2022, largely thanks to the then-surging Moms for Liberty movement. The organization, subsequently cited for extremist beliefs by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), has urged its members to run in typically nonpartisan and low-profile local school board races.
DeSantis also played a key role by backing Time Enos, Robyn Marinelli, and former Board Chair Bridget Ziegler - co-founder of Moms for Liberty - in 2022. All three candidates won and joined Karen Rose to give conservatives a commanding influence over the county’s school curriculum.
Megan Tennimon and Beth Mayberry won school board seats outright on Tuesday, defeating opponents endorsed by the Sarasota County Republican Party. Progressives, with current members Tom Edwards and Liz Barker, both elected in 2024, now enjoy a 4-1 advantage.
In addition, the third school board race is now in a runoff between Heidi Brandt, a Republican-endorsed candidate, and Jimmy Glover, a candidate supported by the local Democratic Party. Teresa DeWitt - a former Moms for Liberty activist - failed to make the cut.
Equality Florida Action PAC and the SPLC are among those celebrating the group’s demise. Moms for Liberty has stoked controversy nationwide for its efforts to fight COVID safety measures in schools, ban books, limit discussions regarding race and LGBTQ identities, and populate local boards with conservatives.
“Moms for Liberty is in free fall,” said Joe Saunders, executive director of Equality Florida PAC, in a statement. “Make no mistake - the pendulum is swinging in the Sunshine State back toward freedom, equality, and dignity for all.”
The announcement notes that Sarasota County is deep red, with a two-to-one Republican voter registration advantage. Ziegler co-founded Moms for Liberty before joining the school board.
Conservative parents, fueled by post-pandemic outrage over masking mandates, remote learning, and DeSantis emphasizing culture war issues in classrooms, looked to the 2022 school board races as a way to effectuate change and restore perceived traditional values.
Moms for Liberty, with the governor’s support, thrived in that environment. The group proudly claimed over 30 elected school board members in 2022.
In late 2023, rape and video voyeurism allegations involving then-Republican Party of Florida Chair Christian Ziegler, Bridget’s husband, brought intense scrutiny to the Sarasota County power couple. The scandal also prompted calls for her to resign, which she refused.
The tide began to turn in 2024, when two conservative school board members lost their seats. Bridget Ziegler, Marinelli, and Rose - the remaining conservative incumbents - decided not to seek reelection in June without providing a clear reason.
Equality Florida Action PAC, which believes Moms for Liberty has been “demolished,” noted that 20 of the group’s 30 school board members were since defeated, did not seek reelection, or are “limping into runoff elections as pro-equality and pro-diversity candidates are poised to oust them in November.”
The announcement states that 81% of all Equality Action PAC-endorsed candidates won their primary elections or advanced to November. “Last night, Florida voters roared,” Saunders said.
“Communities are fighting back against book bans, curriculum censorship, and the whitewashing of history,” he continued. “And we are primed to shatter the conservative supermajorities in the legislature in November.”
At least one Tampa Bay candidate backed by Moms for Liberty advanced from Tuesday’s primary - Dawn Peters. She, like the others, was elected to the Pinellas County School Board in 2022 with support from the organization and DeSantis.
Peters (36.1%) will face Curtis Campogni (35%) in the general election. Dawn Douglas (29%), finished third in the race.
Campogni could receive an assist from Equality Florida Action PAC and the SPLC’s Action Fund. The two organizations announced on Aug. 14 that they’re investing $250,000 to support “pro-equality, pro-academic freedom” school board candidates this election season.
“Last (Tuesday) night was not the finish line,” Saunders said. “It was a reminder that organizing works, that equality wins, and it was a moment to recommit to the work ahead.”
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