Tallahassee firefighter Jeremy Rogers to run against Laurie Lawson Cox for school board

Leon County School Board member Laurie Lawson Cox has a challenger this election cycle in the non-partisan race – and it's a political newcomer with early strong backing by the county's Democratic Party.

Tallahassee firefighter Jeremy Rogers filed March 1 to run for the District 4 seat, and despite this being his first time running for office, he's been a longtime public servant and educator, he says.

Rogers' decision to run comes as he's grown "tired of politics being weaponized," he says. He pointed to Gov. Ron DeSantis and the conservatives parental rights group Moms for Liberty, which both have backed education-related legislation that Rogers criticizes.

For Rogers, running for the School Board is personal. He and his wife, Betty, have one daughter, Taylor, 13.

"Every move that I'm making is formulating the rest of her life and how she looks at men but how she looks at the world and the community," he said.

He's been in fire service for 17 years and with the Tallahassee Fire Department for 14 years, now in the Fire Prevention division. He founded the non-profit Tallahassee Adventure Club and its preschool and summer camp, Killearn Sunshine Academy, which he continues to operate.

His decision to open the preschool was heavily impacted by his work with at-risk youth, children at a greater vulnerability for problem behaviors.

That hits close to home for Rogers, having grown up at-risk himself. He lost his father and was put up for adoption by his birth mother. His school aims to admit 25% of at-risk youth, and he says he'll advocate for them if he is elected.

Campaign: Going from politics to policy

His campaign is based on boosting teacher pay and recruitment, as well as stopping teachers from leaving the profession. He also wants to advocate for students' mental health and switch the focus from politics to policy.

District 4 covers north Tallahassee, which includes Lawton Chiles High School, Deerlake Middle School, and Springwood and Hawks Rise Elementary Schools. Lawson Cox has been serving in that seat since 2022 when she won a special election after Dee Dee Rasmussen vacated her seat before her term was up.

While Rogers says on his website that "it’s been disheartening to see our school system targeted by extreme politicians," he commended Cox for her hard work on the board.

"That woman is awesome," he said. "She served our community, she put in her time, she's 30-plus years in the school district. She has an awesome perspective on things, people in the community really do respect her, and I respect her service."

At the same time, many people he speaks with don't believe the school district is "doing a good job" and people are tired of voting for the same people over and over. He's offering himself as something new.

Cox shared that she hoped she would "not have an opponent."

"I've learned so much ... I'm excited to continue to get my message out to more people," Cox said. "Having an opponent sharpens you ... and keeps you on your toes, which is always a good thing."

Cox's platform includes increasing classroom transparency, keeping schools open, supporting extracurriculars, bolstering school security, supporting civic education, and preparing students for the future. She shared that her institutional knowledge from her years of teaching have aided in her work as a board member.

"I'm reenergized, I'm excited to get back to work on the campaign trail, and get my message out for the people to get to know me that maybe didn't get a chance to meet me the first time around," Cox said. "Once I found out I had an opponent, the support has been incredible."

Leon County Democratic chair alludes to recruiting Rogers

Leon County Democrats have long been critical of Cox, saying she is allied with Moms for Liberty and DeSantis. In his official email announcing his campaign, Rogers included a quote from the Leon County Democrats' campaign committee Chair, Nic Zateslo.

“Florida school board races have become a place where the right-wing has decided to focus, and I am grateful we have a person like Jeremy throwing his hat in this race. He can win, and I am excited he is running," Zateslo said in a statement.

Recently, Leon County Democratic Party chair Ryan Ray told the Tallahassee Democrat that he and the party were recruiting a candidate to take on Cox, the only registered Republican elected in Leon County. He didn't name the candidate but said the challenger was "frankly going to win and return common sense to that district on the School Board."

For his part, Rogers, a registered Democrat, said people from both parties are supporting his candidacy.

Arianna Otero is the City Solutions Reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact her via email at AOtero@tallahassee.com or on Twitter/X: @ari_v_otero.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Jeremy Rogers challenges Laurie Lawson Cox for Leon School Board