Bridget Ziegler, Tim Enos and Robyn Marinelli sweep Sarasota School Board races

Sarasota County School Board candidates Bridget Ziegler, Tim Enos and Robyn Marinelli each won their elections in a milestone conservative sweep of the seats up for election in Tuesday's primary.

Republicans dominated election day voting numbers, outvoting Democrats 3 to 1, propelling the slate endorsed by Gov. Ron DeSantis to a strong lead with all precincts reporting. Despite trailing in campaign contributions in each of the three races, each candidate won by at least six percentage points.

Voters chose among six candidates for three seats. In District 1, incumbent Ziegler faced Dawnyelle Singleton; in District 4, Marinelli faced Lauren Kurnov; and in District 5, Enos faced Nora Cietek.

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The District 4 and 5 races determined who replaces the retiring liberal-leaning School Board members Shirley Brown and Jane Goodwin respectively. With three of the five seats up for election this cycle, voting control of the board was up for grabs on the ballot.

Ziegler and Karen Rose stood as the conservative School Board members often on the losing end of 3-2 votes before Tuesday. Now, conservative School Board members will have a 4-1 majority with Tom Edwards as the remaining liberal member.

DeSantis and the Republican Party of Sarasota County endorsed Ziegler, Enos and Marinelli — dubbed "ZEM" by supporters, with the governor visiting Sarasota two days before the primary to rally Republicans to flip the School Board.

On the other side, Singleton, Kurnov and Cietek were endorsed by the Sarasota County Democratic Party. Kurnov and Cietek were also endorsed by the Sarasota Classified/Teachers Association — the local teacher's union.

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Though Florida school board seats are nonpartisan, debates over issues ranging from critical race theory to parental rights in education have become highly polarized. Conservatives now control education policy in a county with over 45,000 students and almost 5,400 employees.

School Board members are elected to four-year terms, and, while they represent geographical districts on the board, voters countywide cast ballots in the race. Their salary is $43,043 annually.

District 1

Ziegler: 56% Singleton: 44%

Ziegler has been on the front lines of advocating for parental rights and had a hand in the Parent’s Bill of Rights legislation signed by the governor in 2021, taking a prominent role in a conservative movement in education in Florida and gaining a national profile on the issue.

While previously more narrowly winning reelection, this cycle she won by more than 16,000 votes and 12 percentage points. Following her win, Ziegler said the margins represented the public's desire for change on the School Board.

"We as public servants on that board are there to serve" the public, she said. "It's never okay to disregard any of our citizens, whatever their issues are, even if it's something you as an elected official don't particularly agree with."

The surge in turnout is indicative of how important education issues are to the community, she said. DeSantis' endorsement and the high profile he gave to education issues played a major role in the election too, she said.

"It's very clear that our community loves our district and supports our teachers," Ziegler said "What was (also) very clear is that they did not support the board, the majority of the board and the direction they were heading."

Singleton, a former educator and current non-profit worker in Sarasota, was a graduate of Sarasota public schools. She would have been the first Black School Board member in the district’s history. She and Ziegler were neck and neck in campaign finance, both raising about $140,000 in contributions.

In defeat, Singleton said she was disappointed, but said she hopes Ziegler and the new board members "do the right thing for ALL of the children in Sarasota County."

"I am proud of the campaign I ran," Singleton said. "I will continue to fight for the children, teachers and school communities of Sarasota County."

District 4

Marinelli: 53% Kurnov: 47%

Marinelli, who will replace Brown, worked as a teacher for five years, a school counselor at Southside Elementary for 20 years, and was a district-level administrator overseeing student services for Sarasota County for 15 years.

Despite trailing Kurnov in fundraising by over $170,000, she defeated Kurnov by about six percentage points.

Following her victory, Marinelli said she wants to get to work regaining the community's trust in the board. She emphasized that she wants to advocate for all students of all parents.

"I am very humbled and I'm very appreciative of the community that had the faith in me and had the faith in my educational background," Marinelli said. "I know that the decisions that I will make are going to be student-focused."

Kurnov, who was endorsed by the local teachers union and the Democratic Party of Sarasota County, raised the most money of anyone on the ballot with almost $250,000. She was previously an assistant vice president and director of student success at the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee, and an educational consultant at New College of Florida.

While the outcome wasn't what she hoped for, Kurnov said she's grateful to those who supported her.

"I'm proud of the campaign we ran and want to thank the many volunteers and supporters who helped us spread our positive message," she said.

District 5

Enos: 53% Cietek: 47% 

Enos, who will replace Goodwin, was the chief of the Sarasota County Schools Police Department. Now, he's an executive director on the Florida Association of School Resource Officers and testified before the state Legislature on best school safety practices after the Parkland shooting.

Enos trailed Cietek in fundraising by about $33,000, but defeated her by about six percentage points.

A graduate of Florida State University with a bachelor's in finance, Enos said he's uniquely qualified to serve on the School Board. For 22 of his 32 years of law enforcement experience, he's worked with the school district directly, he said. During his time with the district's police force, he said he's been in every school in the county and experienced their classrooms first-hand.

Cietek moved to the area three years ago from Schenectady, New York. She's previously worked as a special education teacher, as well as both a principal and assistant principal.

Neither Enos nor Cietek could be reached for comment before publication despite multiple attempts.

Follow Herald-Tribune Education Reporter Steven Walker on Twitter at @swalker_7. He can be reached at sbwalker@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota School Board election results: Ziegler, Marinelli, Enos win seats