Can Florida take over school districts? DeSantis raises the possibility.
Tampa Bay Times | Jeffrey S. Solochek | January 13, 2026
The big story: Gov. Ron DeSantis suggested Monday that Florida’s school districts could come under state control if they’re operating in ways his administration doesn’t condone.
“There’s a handful of spots around the state where maybe thrusting these entities into receivership might be the best way to go forward,” DeSantis said during a news conference. “I think you could work things out pretty quickly.”
He made his comment in response to a question relating to the Broward County school district. The questioner detailed a list of problems that Broward has encountered, such as inappropriately using referendum revenue for administrator bonuses, and asked whether it’s time for the state to step in “and set it straight.”
DeSantis called Broward “a disaster,” contending district leadership works more for the benefit of “entrenched interests” than for children and families. He suggested education commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas might investigate how the Department of Education can step in.
It might be necessary, DeSantis added, for the Legislature to enact new laws to allow for state intervention into district governance.
The Florida Constitution states that each county makes up one school district, and each district shall have an elected school board to “operate, control and supervise all free public schools” within its boundaries.
The Legislature has set conditions under which outside entities might take over certain aspects of a district’s operations, such as when the district’s financial reserves have fallen below an established level or if a school does not meet set academic performance levels.
Hillsborough County schools came under threat of a “financial receivership” in 2021 amid concerns of its low reserve levels. That outcome never materialized.
Unlike other states such as Texas, though, Florida does not have provisions for a complete district takeover by the state. The 2016 charter school takeover of the Jefferson County district, based on the statutes relating to finances and academics, was a singular anomaly — it operates one K-12 school.
