Broward School Board member files lawsuit related to Democratic ad controversy
South Florida Sun Sentinel | By: Scott Travis | July 2, 2026
A Republican School Board member’s involvement in an advertisement placed in the program for a Democratic fundraising dinner has become the subject of a negative political campaign and a defamation lawsuit.
The legal battle stems from a text message blast with the subject line “Republican Voter Alert” that accused Cervera — a Republican appointee of Gov. Ron DeSantis — of using public funds to support Democrats. The website tied to the campaign also targets Cervera over his residency outside his School Board district and his recent endorsement by the Broward Teachers Union.
Cervera said a claim on the website that tax dollars were used for the Democratic ad is false, and he has filed a lawsuit in the 17th Judicial Circuit Court against Michael Worley and the political action committee he chairs, Making Democracy Work.
Cervera is asking a jury to require the committee to remove the ad and to “prohibit Defendants from republishing the same false factual accusation that Plaintiff used taxpayer dollars to support the Democratic Party or used taxpayer dollars to pay for the referenced advertisement.”
Worley’s political consulting firm, MDW Communications, represents one of Cervera’s four opponents, Jessie Bastos, a member of the Broward County Soil & Water Conservation District.
While the mass text and website appear to target Republican voters, both Worley and Bastos are registered Democrats. Bastos, reached by the Sun Sentinel, referred questions to Worley. “I’m not involved and am not interested in getting involved,” Bastos said.
The controversy started in April, after state Education Commissioner Anastasios “Stasi” Kamoutsas learned that the Broward school district’s logo was used in an ad in the program book of a Democratic fundraising event held March 28 in Sunrise. The ad stated, “The School Board of Broward County celebrates the Broward Democratic Party’s Obama Roosevelt Legacy Dinner.”
Also appearing in the ad were five Democratic members of the School Board: Chairwoman Sarah Leonardi, Jeff Holness, Nora Rupert, Maura McCarthy Bulman and Debbi Hixon.
The state Department of Education said in late April it launched an investigation. A spokesperson did not respond to questions this week about the status of that inquiry. School district spokesman John Sullivan said the district has received no word on the status of the state’s investigation.
Cervera said board members paid for the ad using their own money. Cervera told the South Florida Sun Sentinel he is “not going to sit by” while a political consultant “knowingly spreads falsehoods to mislead voters.”
“Since day one on the School Board, I’ve fought for transparency, accountability, and integrity because our students, teachers, parents, and taxpayers deserve honest, ethical leadership.
“They deserve leaders who tell the truth, not political operatives who manufacture attacks. There is no place for this kind of toxic politics in our public schools.”
Worley stood by the text and website in a statement to the Sun Sentinel and said he expects the case to be dismissed.
“It seems as though Mr. Cervera is trying to sue his way out of the truth,” Worley said. “The fact of the matter is that Mr. Cervera’s image appeared on an advertisement placed in a partisan publication which, according to multiple news reports, was paid for using public funds.
“Those are tax dollars being used for a partisan purpose, plain and simple,” Worley said. “This information is clearly cited on the website and a copy of the ad itself is provided for reference. This lawsuit is a desperate attempt by Mr. Cervera to avoid the truth.”
The issues about public funds being used weren’t related to the ad, school district officials have said.
While the ad’s use of the district logo created controversy, district officials said public funding was only used when Leonardi’s assistant used a district procurement card to pay for Leonardi’s $150 ticket, which Leonardi said she reimbursed.
Cervera has said he did not attend the event, nor buy a ticket for the event.
Worley did not respond to the Sun Sentinel’s follow-up question about why he says taxpayer money was used for the ad.
