Lori Alhadeff is a locomotive even Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis can’t stop.
After her 14-year-old daughter was killed in the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas school massacre, she became a safe-schools and gun-control activist, and was elected to the Broward County School Board in 2018.
In August 2022, DeSantis used his gubernatorial authority to remove 4 members of the 9-member school board for alleged misfeasance, and replaced them, along with another member who resigned to run for state senate, with 5 of his own rightwing appointees.
They elected, Torey Alston, one of their number, as board chair; and then voted 5-4 to fire the superintendent, over the objections of the 4 elected board members.
This month the voters sacked all 4 DeSantis appointees up for election this year, leaving only Alston. One of them lost to a convicted armed robber, but he wasn’t immediately seated because his opponent is suing to keep him off the board.
The new board then voted 6-2 to replace Alston with Alhadeff in the chair position.
Alhadeff’s inaugural speech went like this: “I believe we are the new school board that can set a new path forward to bring leadership, integrity, healing, stabilization, and respect back to this board.” The audience applauded.
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