FLORIDA SUPREME COURT RULING

The Florida Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that Governor Ron DeSantis acted within his authority when he suspended Okaloosa County Superintendent of Schools Mary Beth Jackson. DeSantis removed Jackson from her post a week after he was sworn into office, citing grand-jury reports that alleged dereliction of duty in a child abuse case involving an Okaloosa County teacher and developmentally challenged pre-kindergarten students at an elementary school during the 2015-16 school year. Jackson’s lawyer argued the governor lacked the power to suspend Jackson because the alleged wrongdoing occurred before she was re-elected in 2016, but the justices found that Jackson’s petition is based on a faulty premise.