DeSantis filed an executive order suspending Patricia Good, Donna Korn, Ann Murray and Laurie Rich Levinson from their duties based on the recommendations of the 20th Grand Jury. The jury recommended that the board be suspended for incompetence, dereliction of duty and abuse of power related to the shooting. The governor was referring to the grand jury’s findings that a security alarm that would have saved lives during the mass shooting at the high school was not installed and remains uninstalled at several area schools. “Students continue to be educated in dangerous, aging, dilapidated, moldy buildings that were supposed to have been renovated years ago,” the grand jury found. In February 2018, an expelled student opened fire at the Parkland school, killing a total of 17 students and staff. The shooting prompted some of the survivors to found the March for Our Lives movement, a prominent group working to prevent gun violence. DeSantis’ press release described the alleged dereliction of duty on the part of Good, Korn, Murray and Rich Levinson as “inexcusable,” saying the four school board members “have demonstrated a pattern of encouraging unacceptable behavior, including fraud and bad management, throughout the region.” “It is my duty to suspend individuals from office when there is clear evidence of incompetence, dereliction of duty, misconduct or misconduct,” DeSantis said. He continued, “We hope this suspension brings the Parkland community another step toward justice.” Democrats Push Senate to Vote on Bill to Remove Dred Scott Judicial Bust from Capitol Yuh-Line Niou Considers Working Family Party to Claim New York House Race After Primary Defeat DeSantis appointed Torey Alston, Manual “Nandy” Serrano, Ryan Reiter and Kevin Tynan to the Broward County School Board to replace the four who were suspended. The governor, who is rumored to be planning a run for president in 2024, also suspended a state attorney this month for “neglect of duty” after he refused to enforce laws banning abortions and gender-affirming surgeries for transgender minors. The attorney general, Andrew Warren, later sued the governor, calling the firing a violation of his First Amendment rights.
