The public school advocate is running for Bridget Ziegler’s seat.
By Brice Claypoole
Original Air Date: October 8, 2025
Host: Jimmy Glover wants to shake up the Sarasota County School Board. The first-time candidate is running in District 1, the seat currently held by Bridget Ziegler. WSLR’s Brice Claypoole reached out to Glover and learned about the changes he wants to bring to Sarasota schools.
Bridget Ziegler
Brice Claypoole: Bridget Ziegler, co-founder of the far-right advocacy group Moms for Liberty, has been a lightning rod for controversy. Since she was elected to the Sarasota School Board in 2022, she has focused on rooting out alleged left-wing influence in schools. In 2023, she came under fire due to a sex scandal, and the School Board voted 4-1 to request her resignation. She stood firm, but if she decides to run again in 2026, she’ll face challenges from both GOP-backed Heidi Brandt and Democrat-backed Jimmy Glover.
Heidi Brandt
Brandt originally agreed to an interview but did not respond to subsequent emails and phone calls. Ziegler could not be reached for comment. Glover, however, was eager to speak. He says he’d be a sharp divergence from the status quo. His top priority is ending the culture wars that have consumed the school board in recent years.
Jimmy Glover: Like many parents and community members, I’m concerned school board decisions have started reflecting political agendas instead of educational excellence. I didn’t vote for extremist policies, culture wars, or banning of books, and I realized my values aren’t being represented. So I ended up asking myself one simple question: “What am I going to do about it?” And the answer was clear: to run for school board and make a difference.
BC: Glover, a Newtown resident and active community member, emphasizes that he’s not a politician and has had four kids attend public schools in Sarasota. He serves on boards for several organizations, including Star Lab, a private K-3 school in Newtown. He makes a living as a flight attendant.
JG: I’ve been a flight attendant for 30 years, and there’s nowhere where you need problem-solving more than 30,000 feet in the air with 200 other people.
BC: Glover, who has a degree in communications, says he’s ready to build the relationships needed to improve Sarasota schools.
Jimmy Glover and students
JG: When I’m elected, I’d be a champion for early literacy and third grade reading success; I’ll prioritize mental health and safety for the students and our staff; I would expand college and career readiness opportunities across all the schools; and I would ensure equity and opportunity for every student, regardless of background.
BC: Glover worries about the mounting budget crisis for Sarasota schools, calling it “devastating.” When pressed for details on how he’d address it, he says he’s still learning from experts, teachers and parents about the options. Glover also weighed in on the controversy surrounding the state’s Schools of Hope program, which allows private charter school operators to take over space in public schools considered underutilized.
JG: I do not support the Schools of Hope. I call them “Schools of Hoax.”
BC: Glover told WSLR’s Dania Heffley that public schools need to “fight back.”
JG: We’re going to need to fight back because they’re coming at us saying all the different things that are horrible about the public school system. I think maybe, this time around, the school system really needs to start marketing what’s good. These Schools of Hope—the majority of them are schools from out of state. There are certain corporate entities that are coming into the state of Florida because our government and our legislature has allowed this to happen, but they’re coming into the state and they’re pretty much saying that they can do a better job at teaching our students than we can—than teachers can. It’s a corporate takeover.
BC: Asked about proposals to close Wilkinson Elementary, Glover says he doesn’t yet have a position.
Wilkinson Elementary
JG: That’s the part that comes in where just getting more information about the logistics and the feasibility of whether closing Wilkinson is a good idea or not. Right now, I know there are many different ideas. Once I learn about more of those ideas, I’ll probably have a better answer. I don’t want to see schools closed at all.
BC: Glover concludes by reiterating his dedication to public schools.
JG: When I moved to Sarasota, the main reason that me and my family moved to Sarasota was because of Sarasota public schools. I’m a big public school advocate. And I would just like the opportunity to be able to show that and show that we can make a difference here. Just have the people come out and vote for change.
BC: For WSLR News, this is Brice Claypoole.
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