Time to Use your Voice and Your Vote

St. Johns County families move here because of our public schools. Our county has been built on strong, stable public education. Our district is consistently high performing, including ranking 2nd in Florida out of 67 districts in total accountability points and earning an “A” district grade every year since district grades began. When a St. Johns County representative publicly misrepresents our schools or ridicules them in Tallahassee, it damages the reputation of the very system that built this county and continues to attract families here.

Taken together, your repeated attacks on public schools, your fixation on fringe talking points, and your support for legislation that pulls resources away from school districts send a clear message that you are more interested in privatization than in strengthening the public schools that serve the vast majority of students in St. Johns County. That is deeply concerning to families who depend on and believe in public education.

There are many bills and policy areas where constituents like me would like to see real leadership from you, whether that means taking clear positions, engaging seriously with the substance of legislation, or standing up for policies that reflect the real needs of this community. I appreciate your stance on certain land preservation efforts, which matter to many of us. Education, however, is foundational to this county’s success, and it demands the same level of seriousness, honesty, and commitment.

If you want to talk about what is actually harming students and families, it is not “furries,” as you previously suggested while campaigning and relying on a hand-picked, curated student roundtable that reinforced a predetermined narrative. It is also not All Boys Aren’t Blue, and it is not HeartMath monitors. HeartMath has not been the subject of parent complaints at school board meetings or through district channels in St. Johns County. None of these have been identified by parents in this county as real problems.

What is harming our schools is chronic underfunding, rapid growth without proportional state support, staffing strain, and serious student mental health challenges, including bullying, racism, and suicide. This is compounded by the fact that Florida continues to rank near the bottom nationally for teacher pay, despite the expectations placed on our educators. These are the issues parents expect their elected officials to address.

For example, consider the district’s finances. News4JAX recently reported that the St. Johns County School District is bracing for a possible $10 million to $15 million deficit heading into the 2026–2027 school year. That is a serious warning sign and calls for legislative focus and leadership, not continued culture-war distractions that do nothing to support students or schools.

So I am asking you to do three things:

1. Stop repeating claims about St. Johns County schools that are not supported by district records, especially when you have now been corrected more than once.

2. Publicly affirm that you support strong, fully funded public schools in St. Johns County and stop undermining them through misinformation or rhetoric that advances privatization.

3. Prioritize solutions that actually help our schools stay strong, including addressing the budget gap and opposing efforts that shift public assets, including district-owned land, away from district students and toward privatization schemes.

I am one constituent, but I am not alone. Many families in St. Johns County expect honest representation and meaningful action on real issues. I would appreciate a response that directly addresses these concerns.

Sincerely,

Anne Watts Tressler St. Johns County, Florida