Jolly asks Byron Donalds to pledge to divest his family's school firms. Erika Donalds calls it sexist

Jolly's demand and Erika Donalds's reply

David Jolly, the Democrat running for governor, asked rival Byron Donalds on Oct. 22 to pledge to divest, if elected, his family's interests in companies that profit off state spending. Ethics experts told the Tampa Bay Times and Miami Herald that the family's reliance on state money per student, in a budget the governor signs, could present a conflict. Erika Donalds, his wife, called the demand sexist.

Why it matters: One online charter school, Optima Classical Academy, lists $15.7 million of its $16.1 million in income as due to her company, OptimaEd. OptimaEd is the school's online teaching provider. That figure is the school's plan for this year, in a budget version amended Sept. 8. It is not a record of payments. Florida's ethics code covers the governor but not the governor's spouse, the Times and Herald report. Byron Donalds says he will follow ethics rules, including recusal.

The story so far: On Oct. 22, the Times and Herald reported that five charter schools paid two companies Erika Donalds runs more than $30 million in four years. The schools are state-funded. Byron Donalds, a Republican congressman, faces Jolly on Tuesday.

What's new: Jolly posted his call on X that evening. His signed statement says the couple has "an obvious conflict of interest." Erika Donalds replied on X about two hours later. The Orlando Sentinel reports Byron Donalds said there was no conflict of interest.

What's next: Florida votes for governor on Tuesday, Nov. 3. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

What Jolly asked

Jolly's post at 5:53 p.m. on Oct. 22 read: "New reporting shows that state-funded charter schools have paid more than $30 million to private companies tied to Byron Donalds' family. I'm calling on him to divest." It linked the Times story from that day.

The statement attached to the post, signed by his campaign, said: "Today's reporting makes it clear that Byron and Erika Donalds have an obvious conflict of interest in how taxpayer money is used to benefit for-profit charter school management companies." It went on: "I'm calling on Byron to pledge to divest his family's interests in companies that profit off of state spending should he be elected to state office again." It ended: "Floridians deserve to know the leaders responsible for making state spending decisions aren't directing money into their personal bank accounts."

The USA TODAY Network's Florida papers reported the same request on Oct. 28: that Byron Donalds commit to giving up his family's stake in companies that profit from state spending if elected. The phrase "lining their own pockets" in that coverage belongs to Andrew Spar, president of the Florida Education Association, the teachers union, not to Jolly.

What the Donaldses say

Erika Donalds replied on X at 8:05 p.m. the same day: "David, treating a woman's businesses as her husband's property is sexist. Your insinuation that taxpayer money is being directed into our personal bank accounts is FALSE, and you know it." The Floridian printed the rest of her reply: "You're smearing their work and mine to score cheap political points. You're losing, you're lying, and in 12 days you'll be back to figuring out which political party to try on next."

In a signed opinion piece in Florida's Voice on Oct. 29, she wrote: "Recently, David Jolly called on my husband, Byron, to divest from the education companies I built." She added: "Byron does not own or run those businesses."

She told the USA TODAY Network: "My businesses do not contract directly with the State of Florida, and that will remain the case if Byron is elected." And: "Payments from charter schools to my companies have always depended on student enrollment. No students, no funding." The campaign said money paid to her management companies is not the same as personal profit for the couple, the network reports.

Byron Donalds told the Times and Herald: "If elected, I will follow legal guidance and comply with all ethics requirements, including recusal." He also said: "Erika is a successful entrepreneur with deep experience in education policy and school operations. I value her perspective, which she has earned through her own work. There is only one governor."

The Orlando Sentinel reported Oct. 31 that Donalds said there was no conflict of interest and that Erika Donalds called the Times and Herald report "a political hit piece."

The school budget behind the fight

Optima Classical Academy's budget for the 2026-2027 school year, in an amended version labeled "Amendment 1 9/8/26," plans for 1,733 students. It lists $15,719,881 "Due to Virtual Instruction Provider (OptimaEd)" out of total income of $16,095,715. The school keeps $375,833 for its own expenses. The file's own data shows it was created Sept. 2. It is a plan, not a record of payments, and the file does not show it approved.

Nearly all of the school's income, $15,991,182, comes through the state's school funding formula. Of that, $9,733,422 is base funding. A line marked "Disc Local" adds $4,059,891, and a line marked "Referendum" adds $2,085,648. The Floridian describes those as money from local property taxes and from a Collier County school funding referendum.

The Times and Herald report that OptimaEd is on track to charge the school $15.7 million in service fees for the 2026 and 2027 school year, based on budget documents.

The ethics question

Florida's ethics code applies only to the governor, not the governor's spouse, the Times and Herald report. It could still require Donalds to recuse himself from certain executive actions related to charter schools, the papers say. Ethics experts told them that the family's reliance on state per-student funding, approved in a budget the governor must sign, could present an ethical conflict should he win on Nov. 3.

Sources we read

David Jolly on X, Oct. 22, and his attached statement. Erika Donalds on X, Oct. 22. The Floridian, Oct. 23, by Joseph Quesada. USA TODAY Network-Florida, Oct. 28, by John Pacenti, via Coral Springs News, and its Oct. 30 version via Yahoo. Florida's Voice, Oct. 29, opinion by Erika Donalds. Orlando Sentinel via Yahoo, Oct. 31, by Jeffrey Schweers. Tampa Bay Times and Miami Herald, Oct. 22, by Claire Heddles. Optima Education Network, 2026-2027 amended budget. Florida Department of State, election dates. Florida Statutes section 100.011.