Firms belonging to wife of Rep. Donalds grabbed millions in charter school contracts



Erika and U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds with President Trump.

By Will Bredderman, FloridaBulldog.org

For years, Erika Donalds has used her perch atop the nonprofit Optima Foundation—not to mention her marriage to U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Naples), now a top contender for governor—to make herself a force in Florida’s charter school movement. But materials filed with Florida’s Auditor General show how in recent years the foundation lost multiple contracts with its signature “classical academies” over what the schools allege were faulty accounting practices, and still more contracts that switched over to for-profit companies Donalds owns herself.

Further, state and federal financial disclosures reveal a long-running, yet previously unreported, financial relationship between the congressman’s wife and State Rep. John Snyder (R-Stuart), an aggressive advocate of charter schools and the owner of a firm that provided payroll services to Optima-affiliated academies and an extra salary to Erika Donalds.




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Firms belonging to wife of Rep. Donalds grabbed millions in charter school contracts
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Bribery charges? What bribery charges? Billionaire banker, ex-FBI agent, former Puerto Rico governor get sweet deal from Bondi's DOJ
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Related Group’s proposed Hollywood Beach condo tower, once sidelined by residents, returns to center stage
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Miami Gardens stiffs nonprofit it hired to help condo residents evacuated after fire
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Broward Sheriff Tony backs down on immigration stance after Florida AG threatens his job
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