Politics
Donalds clarifies charter-school ties after interview answer draws scrutiny
Florida Republican gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds said his wife has no current or future business involvement with charter schools, then his campaign distinguished ended management contracts from a continuing virtual-instruction business. The clarification followed a newspaper investigation into Erika Donalds’ education companies and public funding.
Florida Republican gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds said his wife, Erika Donalds, has no business involvement with Florida charter schools and will not have any going forward. His campaign later clarified that, while some of her companies’ charter-school management contracts have ended, a separate business continues to provide virtual instruction to a public charter school.
The exchange came in an interview taped Wednesday with CBS Miami’s Jim DeFede and published Oct. 25, 2026, as Donalds campaigned in the final stretch of the governor’s race. Asked whether Erika Donalds would have no business involvement with charter schools in Florida, he replied: “She doesn’t have business involvement today, and she’s not going to have that going forward.”
The interview followed a Miami Herald investigation published Thursday examining how the Donaldses’ wealth is connected to state education funding. The campaign said Byron Donalds was referring specifically to Optima Management Services’ former contracts to provide management services to independent brick-and-mortar charter schools. It said those schools have moved to self-management, the contracts have ended and there are no plans to resume the work.
The campaign also acknowledged a continuing relationship involving Erika Donalds’ for-profit company, OptimaEd. It said the company provides virtual instruction through Optima Academy Online, including under contract with Optima Classical Academy, a public virtual charter school. The campaign described that arrangement as distinct from the ended management contracts.
Under that arrangement, according to the campaign, OptimaEd provides teachers, curriculum, technology and student support. The charter school receives public funding through Florida’s Education Finance Program and pays OptimaEd under its contract. The campaign said eligible families can also use education scholarship funds for separate Optima Academy Online courses or programs.
The campaign said Byron Donalds has no management or operational role in Erika Donalds’ businesses and no direct ownership interest in them. It also described Education Freedom Foundation, formerly The Optima Foundation, as a separate nonprofit that offers free support to school founders and expansion efforts.
Donalds’ interview also touched on education policy, his decision to feature Gov. Ron DeSantis in campaign television ads and the future of data centers. He called the campaign “a long campaign” and urged people to vote, saying, “we just want people to get out and vote and make sure that their voices are heard.”