Politics · United States · 2 hrs ago
Personal attacks dominate Florida school board race
Brittany Lyssy and Daniela Simic are competing for a school board seat in District 2 of Hillsborough County, Florida.
The position is officially nonpartisan, but the campaign has become focused on personal and political disputes rather than mainly on schools.
Critics have questioned whether Lyssy lives in the district, citing property records that connect her family to homes outside the county.
Lyssy says her Tampa condominium is her family’s residence and says she continues to live in District 2.
She has also faced questions about an invitation to controversial influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate by a political group she once led; Lyssy says she had already stepped down.
Simic has faced attacks over an endorsement from the Southern Poverty Law Center, which a campaign mailer linked to claims of ties to the Ku Klux Klan.
The dispute has drawn attention away from classrooms, teachers and school budgets, and the candidates’ contest for the seat continues.
Brittany Lyssy and Daniela Simic are competing for the District 2 seat on Florida’s Hillsborough County School Board.
The race has been dominated by personal accusations about residency, political associations and endorsements rather than education issues.
Lyssy says she lives in the district, while questions have been raised about her connections to properties outside Hillsborough County.
A campaign mailer accused Simic of having a “radical agenda” and links to people connected to the Ku Klux Klan.
Both candidates say they would rather discuss children’s education.
- Who
- Brittany Lyssy, a lawyer and former Tampa Bay Young Republicans president, and Daniela Simic, a veteran educator.
- What
- They are competing for the Hillsborough County School Board’s District 2 seat in a campaign marked by personal accusations.
- When
- The article was published on October 17, 2026. The election date is not stated.
- Where
- Hillsborough County, Florida.
- Why
- The candidates are seeking a school board seat, but their campaign has focused on personal allegations and political associations.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The Tampa Bay Young Republicans invited Andrew and Tristan Tate to speak; Lyssy said she was no longer the group’s president.
Damage to the family’s Longboat Key home prompted a move to a Tampa condominium, according to the article.
- Candidates
- Brittany Lyssy and Daniela Simic
- Seat
- District 2, Hillsborough County School Board
- Lyssy’s Tampa home
- 684-square-foot, one-bedroom condominium
- Longboat Key property
- The couple purchased a two-bedroom property there in 2025
- School board role
- Supposedly nonpartisan
What people are saying
I have resided in District 2 and continue to reside in District 2,