A father of two and former Fortune 500 manager, he is one of two candidates vying for Robyn Marinelli’s seat.
By Ed James III
Original Air Date: May 29, 2026
Host: Today, we continue our series of candidate profiles ahead of the upcoming election. In the race for Sarasota County School Board District 4, voters will choose between two candidates looking to bring distinct backgrounds to the non-partisan board. WSLR reporter Ed James III caught up with candidate Frank DiCicco.
Ed James III: Frank DiCicco is a thirty-year resident of Sarasota County. His decision to jump into the District 4 school board race is deeply personal, he says. With two sons who went through the Sarasota school system from pre-K all the way to Suncoast Polytech, DiCicco says his firsthand experience as a parent opened his eyes to areas that need attention.
Frank DiCicco
Frank DiCicco: Having kids in school, I did see a lot of things that I wasn’t really happy about. I decided that maybe it’s not a bad idea to look into running in this particular race, especially since the seat that I’m running for—Robyn Marinelli—she’s not running again, so it was an open seat.
EJ: DiCicco’s opponent, Megan Tennimon, highlights her background as a classroom teacher and PTO president. However, DiCicco argues that a healthy, balanced school board needs a diversity of professional perspectives. As an entrepreneur, business consultant and former Fortune 500 manager, he believes his business acumen and his non-traditional educational path set him apart.
FD: I went back to school as an adult, and I graduated Eckerd College here in St. Petersburg in 2014. I did graduate with high honors and was accepted into Phi Beta Kappa academic society. These were goals that I was able to achieve. What I learned is—I was also in school back in the 1980s—I’m significantly older than you, Ed—so things were different back then. For me, being in academia in 2014 exposed me to a lot more of the challenges that are going on with teachers, students and so on that I think people in my age group haven’t had that experience because we all went to school 30, 40, 50 years ago. I think that’s a unique attribute because I did experience a lot of the issues that are going on in schools now.
EJ: DiCicco also points to his time as a volunteer court mediator for the Sarasota County court system, where he helped resolve close to 100 cases. He hopes to apply those conflict-resolution skills to a school board that has frequently been split by 3-to-2 votes on contentious issues. DiCicco is also advocating for concrete policy changes, starting with the timing and frequency of board meetings.
FD: I don’t like the school board meetings being at 10:00 a.m. in the morning. I was against that when they changed it. I don’t think it should be that way. I think that the school board meetings should be at 6:00 p.m. at night so that parents, students and teachers can attend those meetings. I feel that we should also have two board meetings a month because, since there are a lot of controversial issues, a lot of things on the agenda are not being addressed or should be addressed in more detail and people aren’t there for eight hours. So two board meetings a month like we used to, Tuesday nights at 6:00 p.m.
EJ: DiCicco’s platform also focuses on tightening school policies, ranging from more consistent dress code enforcement—asserting that students shouldn’t be wearing pajamas to class—to improving the student attendance notification system so parents are notified in real-time rather than ten hours later. He also expresses concerns about the school district’s $1.5 billion budget, arguing it lacks itemized detail and transparency.
FD: I’m concerned that, when you look at our budget, which is like 300-something pages long, it’s not as detailed itemized-wise as I would like to see. I just think that, $1.5 billion budget—50% of our taxes going to the school system, school board—yeah, there’s got to be more transparency there, and I’m big on that.
EJ: While school board races are constitutionally non-partisan, the local political climate remains highly polarized. DiCicco has accepted the endorsement of the Sarasota County Republican Executive Committee, while pointing out that his opponent is supported on local Democratic voter guides. However, DiCicco insists that party backing will not dictate his decision-making.
FD: Just because a party endorsed someone doesn’t make that candidate beholden. I’m not beholden to anybody, and I never have been. Believe me, if you knew me, you would know that I really do enjoy arguing, and I’ll argue to the end. I’m not beholden to anybody. But since you bring it up—and, again, it’s non-partisan—in 1982, when I registered to vote, I registered as a conservative, and that’s been my party my whole life. I’m a member of the REC. They endorsed candidates that are members. That happens. There’s a lot of endorsements going on. There’s different organizations endorsing people. However, in all fairness, my opponent does say that she’s not endorsed, but if you look at the Democratic website, they do support her. She’s listed on there, on their voter guide. And, to be honest with you, it’s totally fine. I don’t care either way. But this is not like I’m the only person who is being supported by a party in a non-partisan race because so is my opponent.
EJ: If elected, DiCicco says his first priority is establishing a direct line of communication with the community. He plans to host regular listening tours at local schools after normal working hours, acting like evening office hours where parents and teachers can bring their concerns directly to him.
For WSLR News 96.5 FM, I’m Ed James III.
WSLR News aims to keep the local community informed with our 1/2 hour local news show, quarterly newspaper and social media feeds. The local news broadcast airs on Wednesdays and Fridays at 6pm.