Donalds And His Wife Erika’s Wealth Has Grown To As Much As $11 Million From Taxpayer Money; They ‘Won’t Slow Down’ If He Becomes Governor

Tallahassee, FL – Today, the Miami Herald published a story highlighting how gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds and his wife Erika have seen their wealth grow from a few hundred thousand dollars to as much as $11 million after entering public office, at the expense of taxpayer money meant for our public schools. 

“This report confirms what we already knew: Byron Donalds isn’t running for governor to fix the crises he and his own party have created. He’s running to protect a business model that has made his family rich off of taxpayer money,” said Lisa Zayas, Deputy Communications Director for Florida Watch.

“The Donaldses’ corporations have received more than $30 million from state-funded charter schools in the last four years and are set to receive another $15.7 million this year, with no accountability and no disclosures on how our tax dollars are being spent,” Zayas stated. 

While the Donaldses profit, other reports have shown that one of their schools never opened their doors, even after enrolling hundreds of students. Multiple schools tied to Byron and Erika Donalds also suffered from lagging performance, and have since cut ties with their organization. 

“Not only have the Donaldses enriched themselves at our expense, they’ve done it at the expense of our kids. Every dollar that flows into Erika Donalds’ companies starts as public money meant for Florida students, but thanks in part to bills Donalds has sponsored and voted for, are being diverted from neighborhood schools into corporate-run schools like the Donalds’, where millions of taxpayer dollars are being spent with no accountability. Meanwhile, our neighborhood schools are so underfunded that some have been forced to shut down entirely. Florida deserves a governor who will invest in ensuring every child of every need has the opportunity to thrive, not one who sees our kids’ education as an opportunity to enrich himself.

“Erika Donalds’ words say it all: if her husband is elected governor, ‘profit is not going to be a bad word,’ and she has no plans to slow down. It’s clear that the Donaldses see the governor’s mansion as nothing more than another opportunity to advance their own political ambitions and pad their bottom line at the expense of the very people they are supposed to serve. This is about more than one investigation or one news story. It’s about a pattern of corruption and a complete lack of accountability. Taxpayer dollars should be used to serve the public, not to line the pockets of the wealthy and well-connected,” added Zayas.