Florida School Board Race Spirals into Nasty Personal Attacks

A contest for a school board seat in Hillsborough County, Florida, has devolved into a bitter campaign marked by deeply personal accusations between the two candidates, lawyer Brittany Lyssy and educator Daniela Simic.

The race for the District 2 seat on the Hillsborough County School Board, intended to be nonpartisan, has become a highly charged political battle.

Lyssy has faced scrutiny regarding her residency. Property records indicate her husband is registered to vote in neighboring Manatee County, where the couple owns a property. Following damage to their Longboat Key home from Hurricane Helene, the family reportedly moved into a one-bedroom condominium in downtown Tampa. Lyssy maintains the condominium is her family's residence and that the Longboat Key property was an investment. She stated that speculation about her residency has led to people showing up at her condominium late at night. Election officials do not independently verify residency information provided by candidates.

Additionally, Lyssy has been questioned about an invitation extended by the Tampa Bay Young Republicans to controversial brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate in 2025. Lyssy asserts she was no longer president of the group when the invitation was issued and subsequently withdrew her membership. The influencers had been arrested and were awaiting trial on rape and human trafficking charges at the time of the invitation.

Simic, on the other hand, has been targeted by campaign advertisements. One mailer accused her of a "radical agenda" and alleged endorsements from "radical extremists" with ties to the Ku Klux Klan. This claim originated from an endorsement by the Southern Poverty Law Center, an organization that faced dismissed allegations from the Justice Department concerning funding the KKK. The mailer also alleged Simic supports "boys in girls’ sports and bathrooms" and is "anti-parental rights." Simic has received backing from Equality Florida Action, an LGBTQ advocacy organization. Another advertisement criticized her professional record, claiming school grades declined in Duval and Hillsborough counties during her administrative tenure. This ad was financed by Leading For Our Future, a political action committee.

More personal attacks have also emerged. Unidentified callers reportedly contacted voters with damaging allegations against Simic, including claims that she took her 10-year-old son to a drag performance. Simic denied the allegation, calling it an unacceptable escalation to involve her child. Lyssy stated that neither she nor her campaign organized or commissioned these calls.

Simic has expressed a refusal to engage in similar personal attacks, stating that winning the campaign through negativity is not worthwhile and that she aims to teach her son to be a good man. She has also defended her career, arguing that performance figures were selectively presented and that districts improved during her tenure.

Lyssy has also had to address online screenshots suggesting an issue with her standing at the Florida Bar, which she described as an administrative filing problem that was promptly corrected.

Both candidates expressed a desire for the election to focus on educational issues and qualifications. Lyssy is campaigning on financial accountability and rebuilding confidence in public schools, while Simic emphasizes teacher retention, educational access, and declining enrollment.

The race has proven to be financially significant. Lyssy has raised over $99,000, and Simic has collected more than $79,000. The winner will succeed outgoing board member Stacy Hahn, who is running for County Commission.