A national political action committee “dedicated to electing conservative school board members” has spent over $1 million this year to put-like minded candidates in power in Florida, with the race for chair of the Orange County School Board among the elections it has targeted.
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A text blast from the 1776 Project PAC, a Virginia-based group, urged Orange voters to elect Alicia Farrant, who is finishing her first, four-year term on the school board and is now seeking the chair position. The text, sent two weeks ago, said Farrant would build a “common sense future” for Orange County Public Schools.
Farrant, who first ran as a member of the conservative Moms for Liberty group fighting face masks and books with sexual content, is vying for the position against Angie Gallo.
Gallo, who has been on the board since 2018, says Farrant’s views are out of step with what Orange voters want for their public schools, accusing her of being “focused on culture wars, not our kids.”
The Aug. 18 race for school board chair — an elected position unique to Orange County — has prompted plenty of spending on political advertising, as both the candidates and their PACs throw tens of thousands of dollars at mailers and digital advertising. But the spending from the 1776 Project stands out, as it comes from outside the county and the state.
The group is spending money on school board races across the country, including in Texas and Ohio, and in Florida it is backing candidates in Brevard, Duval and Hillsborough counties, in addition to Orange, its website says. Federal campaign finance data doesn’t specify how much it is spending in each county, but notes it is spending about $1.1 million in Florida this year.
In Orange, the 1776 Project PAC has also endorsed Marisol Lugo and Ilia Adorno for school board this year. Lugo faces Gloria Reina O’Neal for the District 2 seat, while Adorno is up against Diana Moore and Susanne Peña for the District 3 seat.
The group lists “classical education,” “protecting girl’s spaces” and being “against indoctrination” as its priorities. It is funded by billionaire and GOP megadonor Richard Uihlein.
In a county where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by more than 87,000, Gallo said the Virginia group’s message will miss its mark.
“The voters in Orange County are very, very smart on the 1776 project and who they are,” Gallo said.
The two candidates are both spending money they, and their political action committees, have raised ahead of Tuesday’s election. As of Thursday, Gallo has raised about $93,000 and spent about $67,000, while Farrant has raised about $89,000 and spent about $57,000. Farrant has spent about $30,000 on campaign advertisementswhile Gallo had spent about $62,000 between her campaign account and PAC.
Orange’s board chair has most of the same duties as other board members but has the power to set agendas and break tie votes on the eight-member board. This year’s election is not as expensive as that in 2018, the last time there was an open contest. That year, Teresa Jacobs, then the county mayor, raised almost $130,000 and spent about as much to defeat Nancy Robbinson, who raised about $156,000 and also spent about as much. Jacobs is retiring this year after two terms as chair.
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One of Gallo’s ads frames Farrant as extreme, saying she’s “spreading dangerous MAGA and Moms for Liberty rhetoric,” that she “wants to ban books and content she disagrees with” and “turn classrooms into battlegrounds instead of places to learn.”
Farrant has pushed the school district to remove books with sexual content, including one by the award-winning novelist John Green, who grew up in Orlando. She also appeared on stage with Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in early 2022 when he signed a bill that provides for more parental scrutiny of school books and, since her election, has remained vocal about removing novels and volumes she finds objectionable.
Farrant, however, said she is focused on “ensuring every child can read on grade level” and criticized Gallo’s mailers.
“While my opponent spends time and money on name calling, which seems to be her only tactic, I have been championing a return to common sense, foundational education,” Farrant said in a statement.
Farrant has also spent on political advertising, with mailers describing her as a “courageous leader” and the “only candidate endorsed by our local law enforcement,” a reference to the Florida State Fraternal Order of Police’s endorsement. Her mailer does not mention Gallo.
The Republican Party of Florida has sent mailers for Farrant too, labeling her a “proven advocate for students, parents and teachers who is committed to restoring excellence, accountability, and trust in our public schools.”
The Republican advertising came after Farrant’s PAC, operated by her husband, sent a $9,000 check to the party on July 13, according to records from the Florida Division of Elections.
Though school board elections are non-partisan, both parties are backing candidates in the chair race. Democratic Party “voter guides” listing candidates the party suggests its members vote for include Gallo.
Farrant’s PAC’s biggest donation was $10,000 from Maitland-based finance executive Scott Cahill Sr.
Gallo’s PAC is funded largely by $32,000 in two donations from executives at the Commerce Fund of Florida, a private real estate investment firm based in Winter Park, $15,000 from an Orlando-based pro-public education PAC, and $7,500 from the district’s teacher’s union.
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