Education
Florida Charter Schools Paid Over $30M to Gubernatorial Candidate's Wife
Five state-funded charter schools paid more than $30 million over four years to two private companies run by Erika Donalds, wife of Florida Republican gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds, according to a Herald/Times analysis of tax filings and state audits. Her virtual reality curriculum company OptimaEd LLC is on track to receive $15.7 million in service fees from the online school Optima Classical Academy for the 2026-2027 school year. Ethics experts cited potential conflicts of interest if Donalds wins the Nov. 3 election, as Florida's governor signs budgets approving per-student charter funding that flows to his wife's companies. The Donalds campaign stated Byron Donalds would follow all ethics requirements including recusal, while Erika Donalds said she plans to continue her business leadership roles.