A bitter election campaign for the Leon County school board is a fight for life and death

Leon County School Board candidate Jeremy Rogers is fighting back against a controversy that emerged late in the campaign: news that he is suing the city of Tallahassee.

Rogers is a firefighter in Tallahassee. Last year, he sued the city for failing to provide him with adequate mental health support following the arson death of his mother. In his lawsuit, Rogers says he faced a hostile work environment at the Tallahassee Fire Department.

The complaint was sent to several local news outlets, including WFSU and the Tallahassee Democrat.

In a statement to WFSU, Rogers blamed supporters of his opponent, school board member Laurie Lawson Cox, for the leak of the lawsuit, accusing them of exploiting his mother's death and the subsequent lawsuit for, quote, “political gain.”

Local party leader Ryan Ray blamed Cox directly for this.

She denied any involvement and said in a statement to WFSU that her campaign focused on students, teachers and a successful school year.

While school board races are bipartisan, this one has taken on a very Republican-Democratic hue. The Florida Democratic Party has endorsed Rogers, a Democrat. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is backing Cox, a Republican.

Rogers is demanding more than $50,000 in damages from the city.

***

In a statement, Rogers said, “It is truly sad that my opponent's supporters are trying to exploit a painful moment in my life – the horrific death of my mother in a fire – for political purposes. Our campaign will continue to focus on the issues that matter to our families, teachers and students. That is the focus I will bring as an elected member of the school board on August 21.”

In a statement, Lawson Cox said, “This is a matter between my opponent and the city. I am fully focused on making sure our schools, teachers and students have everything they need for a successful year.”

Ryan Ray, chairman of the Leon County Democratic Party, said in a statement, “Laurie Cox should be ashamed of herself for selling corrupt research to the opposition about a Tallahassee first responder. This reeks of desperation. Her entire campaign, backed by Moms for Liberty and supported by Ron DeSantis, is wrong for Tallahassee and this sad last-minute attack only proves that even more.”