Broward School Board Members Patricia Good, Donna Korn, Ann Murray, and Laurie Rich Levinson were suspended from office by Governor Ron DeSantis. Due to their “incompetence, neglect of duty, and misuse of authority,” the move followed recommendations of the Twentieth Statewide Grand Jury to suspend these board members. These suspensions are effective immediately.
“Each committed malfeasance, misfeasance, neglect of duty, and incompetence” in handling a campus safety program, page five references the grand jury report. Lives could be saved at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School with a program the Governor stated. “Each hereby suspended from the public office that they now hold,” the order says, according to CBS News.
Five of the nine school members have been appointed by DeSantis in the predominantly democrat-leaning Broward county. The seat two is held by Goode, to which Torey Alston was appointed. He will finish her term, ending in 2024, a source says. DeSantis has appointed Alston a second time to a position within the county in a year. He was tabbed a County Commissioner last November. For nearly three years, Alston also served as Chief of Staff at the Florida Department of Transportation.
Governor Ron DeSantis said: “It is my duty to suspend people from office when there is clear evidence of incompetence, neglect of duty, misfeasance or malfeasance. The findings of the Statewide Grand Jury affirm the work of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas School Safety Commission. We are grateful to the members of the jury who have dedicated countless hours to this mission and we hope this suspension brings the Parkland community another step towards justice. This action is in the best interest of the residents and students of Broward County and all citizens of Florida.”
“Students continue to be educated in unsafe, aging, decrepit moldy buildings that were supposed to have been renovated years ago. These are inexcusable actions by school board members who have shown a pattern of emboldening unacceptable behavior, including fraud and mismanagement across the district,” DeSantis added. Read more