Thomas wins District 3 seat on Brevard's school board in 2024 primary election
Former Melbourne city council member and previous school administrator John Thomas has won Brevard's primary election for the District 3 seat on school board, with Tuesday's results giving him a lead of more than 13% over Amber Yantz, a Palm Bay mother of five.
Out of 18,695 votes, Thomas won 10,592 votes (56.66%), while Yantz won 8,103 votes (43.34%). Because they were the only two candidates running, there will be no runoff in November.
"I am looking forward to working hard to earn the trust of the BPS family as well as our Space Coast community," Thomas said Tuesday night in a text to FLORIDA TODAY.
Thomas’ win secures his spot in the District 3 seat currently held by Jennifer Jenkins, the only liberal on the board. While this flips the seat conservative, it's not yet known if there will be any independent or progressive members on the board, as the District 4 race between incumbent Matt Susin – a conservative – and Avanese Taylor – who has described herself as "middle of the road" but has gained favor with Democrats – will head to a runoff in November.
After a redistricting move in 2023 pushed Jenkins out of District 3 and into District 4, she did not run for reelection.
Thomas – who has a background ranging from law enforcement to Melbourne's city council to administrative positions at Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy and Florida Tech, and most recently to the CEO of Brevard's Home Builders and Contractors Association – ran on early childhood learning, career and technical education expansion, improving school safety and creating affordable housing for Brevard Public Schools employees.
On some issues, he took a staunchly conservative stance, such as when he was asked about whether or not chaplains should be allowed within schools. He said the “single biggest thing” hurting society was the “lack of God.”
On other issues, like the expansions of the guardian program — which allows BPS employees who aren’t assigned to a classroom to volunteer to carry firearms — he had a more progressive standpoint. This was informed by his experience in law enforcement, he said, adding that he knew from personal experience that in a stressful situation, it’s not easy to shoot — especially if you’re not going through regular training.
While Yantz ran on similar issues, her stance was more progressive across the board. Her five kids are enrolled in Brevard Public Schools, and while she offered experience in working within the district, her professional experiences as a realtor were more limited than Thomas'.
Yantz said she was thankful for the opportunity to run for the seat.
"This is not the end," she said. "I will continue to hold our Brevard County school board accountable and continue to be present within our community as I have always done."
District 3 encompasses the southeast part of Brevard, including West Melbourne, Palm Bay, Grant-Valkaria, Melbourne Beach and Barefoot Bay.
While the race was decided Tuesday, Thomas won’t assume office until November after the general election.
Race called Tuesday; winner to assume office in November
Because only two candidates were running for the seat, the race was called Tuesday night, though Thomas won’t assume office until November.
The position has a four-year term, and an annual salary of $48,725.
Campaign finances
Thomas outraised Yantz by nearly $49,000, bringing in $53,478.47 in cash contributions and $900 in in-kind contributions. He spent $45,312.40 on his campaign.
Yantz raised $5,610 in monetary contributions (including $500 of her own contributions) and $0 in in-kind contributions. She spent $5,046.91.
Results
With 27 of 27 precincts reporting, here are the results:
Thomas: 10,592 (56.66%)
Yantz: 8,103 (43.34%)
Finch Walker is the education reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Walker at [email protected]. X: @_finchwalker.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Thomas wins D3 seat on Brevard school board in 2024 primary election
