The Duval County School Board seat representing the Beaches will change hands this fall, and three candidates have qualified for the ballot to fill it.
District 2, which covers the Beaches and parts of the Southside, is one of three open seats on the seven-member board this cycle. Incumbent April Carney announced in April that she would not seek a second term. Carney was elected in 2022, defeating then-incumbent Elizabeth Andersen in a race that flipped the board to a conservative majority, and won endorsements from Gov. Ron DeSantis and Moms for Liberty.
The candidates who qualified for the District 2 ballot are Donovan Bradley, Terence Lavele Myers and Donna Mae Westrich. All three appear on the Aug. 18 primary ballot. If no candidate wins more than 50 percent, the top two finishers advance to the Nov. 3 general election. School board races in Florida are nonpartisan, and all Duval voters registered in District 2 may vote in the primary regardless of party. The deadline to register for the primary is July 20.
Donovan Bradley
Bradley, 26, is a first-time candidate and Carney's chosen successor. She endorsed him as "someone who will ask tough questions and challenge the status quo."
A graduate of Fletcher High School and the University of North Florida, Bradley describes himself as a conservative Christian. He previously worked as an aide to state representatives and was appointed in 2025 by City Council President Kevin Carrico to the Duval County Election Advisory Panel. His stated priorities include school safety, academic excellence and school choice, parental rights, and responsible budgeting, with a focus on core subjects and what he calls a values-driven environment for students.
Bradley has significantly outraised the field. Campaign finance records show $49,776.00 in contributions as of the most recent filings.
Terence Lavele Myers
Myers currently serves as a dean of students at a Duval County public middle school. His career began in the juvenile justice system, an experience he says pushed him toward education to reach students before they fall through the cracks. A Florida A&M University graduate, he has taught at the elementary, middle and high school levels in both public and private schools, and worked in the district's Student Services Department on attendance and truancy. He is also an adjunct instructor at J-Tech Institute and a retired Army Reservist who deployed in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.
Myers says he is running to support teachers, strengthen student retention, improve school discipline and ensure safe, structured learning environments. The most recently his campaign has reported $2,134.31 in contributions.
Donna Mae Westrich
Westrich is a career public school teacher and the mother of two children who attend Duval County public schools. Her platform centers on three priorities: empowering educators, representing the community, and building a fiscally responsible and transparent budget. She has said she will advocate for improved teacher working conditions, sustainable schedules and salaries that keep pace with the cost of living.
Westrich has reported roughly $8,936.02 in contributions.
The District 2 race is one of three open-seat contests — along with Districts 4 and 6 — that will reshape a board where five of seven current members were endorsed by Moms for Liberty. Whoever wins will represent Beaches families on decisions ranging from school budgets and staffing to book policies and campus safety across the district's roughly 128,000 students.
The Beach Gazette will publish candidate questionnaires and coverage of District 2 forums ahead of the Aug. 18 primary.
