Erika Donalds' education companies received $30 million in Florida state funds since 2022
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The gist
Erika Donalds' companies received $30 million in Florida state education funds since 2022, with $16 million more promised.
Her business ties now shadow her husband Byron Donalds' new governorship.
Background
Erika Donalds is a Florida education activist and school choice advocate, founder of six classical charter schools, founder and chair of OptimaEd, and chair of education at the America First Policy Institute, a conservative think tank. She is the wife of Byron Donalds, the U.S. representative who won Florida's Nov. 3 gubernatorial race. Coverage of her business dealings surfaced as part of reporting on the governor-elect's family, and ethics experts and political opponents say her private ventures will loom large over his administration.
How it unfolded
- Dec 5, 2025Florida governor candidate James Fishback criticized Byron and Erika Donalds over a delayed charter school, saying they "promised these kids the world and then fell off the face of that same world."
- Jul 30, 2026Reporting describes Erika Donalds as a cable news commentator, advisor to Moms for Liberty and chair of education opportunity at the America First Policy Institute, and notes she was floated to be Trump's secretary of education.
- Oct 22, 2026Miami Herald reporting details education cash flowing from charter schools to Erika Donalds; she disputed an allegation that her nonprofit had mismanaged an audit at Jacksonville schools. Treasure Coast Classical Academy cut ties with her nonprofit and is suing it over alleged breach of contract, with one contract with her private companies amounting to about $223,000.
- Nov 3, 2026Rep. Byron Donalds defeated Democrat David Jolly in Florida's gubernatorial race, 50.1% to 48.7% with 99% of precincts reporting, becoming the state's first Black governor and the nation's first Black Republican governor.
- Nov 4, 2026USA TODAY reports Erika Donalds' companies have received $30 million in state education funds since 2022, with another $16 million promised in the next two school years, per Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times reporting.
Key terms
- charter schools
- A publicly funded school that operates independently of the established state school system.
- school choice
- Education policy letting families pick alternatives to traditional public schools.
- Moms for Liberty
- American political group opposing school curricula on LGBTQ rights, race and critical race theory, and campaigning to ban certain books.
Source: Wikipedia
Who’s saying what
- Official
- Erika Donalds said she doesn't do business with the state of Florida and never has, adding that she built her career on "ethics, accountability, and transparency."
- Party
- Byron Donalds said "Erika is a successful entrepreneur with deep experience in education policy and school operations. I value her perspective, which she has earned through her own work," adding "There is only one governor."
- Caution
- Ethics experts and political opponents, per Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times, say Erika Donalds' private business ventures will loom large over her husband's administration.
- Caution
- Teachers' unions, per Miami Herald, are raising red flags over her promotion of artificial intelligence in virtual classrooms, arguing it directly benefits her private ed-tech ventures.
- Support
- Alvarez, quoted in WBBH, said "Erika Donalds is an accomplished businesswoman with a proven record of founding successful charter schools and expanding access to high-quality education for thousands of Florida students."
Still unverified
Treasure Coast Classical Academy is suing Erika Donalds' nonprofit over alleged breach of contract; the case is ongoing. Erika Donalds disputed an allegation that her nonprofit had mismanaged an audit at the Jacksonville schools.