Broward School Board Stops Funding Legal Fight for Ousted Members

Broward School Board Stops Funding Legal Fight for Ousted Members
Broward County Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie gets up during a break in a meeting of the Broward County School Board in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on March 5, 2019. Lynne Sladky/AP Photo
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PUNTA GORDA, Fla.–The Broward School Board voted unanimously on Sept. 13 that four former members will have to pay their own legal bills for their defense against the State of Florida.

Ann Murray, Donna Korn, Patricia Good, and Laurie Rich Levinson were suspended from serving in their elected positions by Gov. Ron DeSantis on Aug. 26, following a grand jury recommendation citing “incompetence, neglect of duty, and misuse of authority.”

DeSantis took action after a statewide grand jury released a 122-page report accusing the school board members of a range of “inexcusable actions … and unacceptable behavior” related to the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. During the massacre, the shooter killed 17 people and wounded 17 others.

The current board unanimously voted that the four former members will be responsible for their own legal bills rendered after Aug. 26.