Last week, Brian Barefoot, a member of the Indian River County School Board, submitted his resignation, citing his move out of District 5, so he thought.
However, soon after resigning, Barefoot discovered that his new residence in Oak Harbor, which he believed was in District 2, was actually in District 5, making his resignation unnecessary. Consequently, Barefoot is now seeking to have Governor Ron DeSantis reverse his resignation.
Previously, Barefoot had relocated from John’s Island to Oak Harbor under the mistaken belief that he was changing districts. This misunderstanding led to his premature resignation, a decision he now finds troubling.
Relations between Barefoot and Governor DeSantis have been strained. DeSantis had previously targeted Barefoot, along with another member of the Indian River County School Board, urging voters to remove him from his position for allegedly not protecting students from what he termed ‘woke’ ideologies.
Despite this, Barefoot, who identifies as a Republican and claims to share DeSantis’s views, expressed disappointment, rather than surprise, upon learning he was a target, emphasizing his opposition to ‘woke’ principles. He then chose to run for reelection.
Barefoot, who was initially elected to the board in 2020, now finds his political future uncertain, with David Dyer and Kevin McDonald having entered the race for his seat.
The School Board is awaiting the governor’s decision, expected by Monday, on whether Barefoot will be reinstated to his position.
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