Polk County voters finished casting ballots Tuesday in a school board runoff that drew far more outside money and political muscle than a typical nonpartisan race, pitting appointed incumbent Kate Wallace against challenger Victor Sims for the District 3 seat. The Polk County Supervisor of Elections Office was counting ballots to determine who will represent a district that includes schools in Lakeland, Mulberry, Bartow and Winter Haven.
A Runoff Forced by a Crowded August Field
Wallace, 41, finished first in an August three-way primary against Sims and Sarah Corona, taking 45.1% of the vote to Sims' 35.8% and Corona's 19.1%, according to figures reported by the Lakeland Ledger. Because no candidate cleared 50%, Wallace and Sims advanced to the runoff. District 3 candidates must live within the district, though the seat itself is decided by all Polk County voters, and the district spans Bartow, Mulberry, Bradley Junction, Wahneta, Alturas, Gordonville, and unincorporated parts of south Lakeland and southwest Winter Haven, according to WUSF.
Wallace, a Bartow native, was appointed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in November 2025 to complete the term of Rick Nolte, who died three months earlier, per the Ledger's reporting. She then entered the race for the full term in April 2026. Wallace is a graduate of the International Baccalaureate program at Bartow High School and holds a bachelor's degree in public relations from the University of Florida. She works as director of state government affairs for Charter Communications and previously worked for the Foundation for Excellence in Education, founded by former Gov. Jeb Bush, as well as serving as founding executive director of Lakeland Leads, now known as Connected Polk.
Sims' Path From Foster Care to the Ballot
Sims, 30, filed to run for the District 3 seat in February 2025. He spent 12 years in foster care before being adopted, and has said he attended 12 schools during that period, telling the Ledger that educators there saw his potential despite a childhood diagnosis he has described as false. Sims holds a law degree from Florida State University and works as a senior associate in philanthropy for a national child-welfare organization. He previously ran for the Florida Legislature as a Democrat.
On education policy, the two candidates have staked out different ground. Wallace told WUSF that Polk County should modernize teacher compensation to reward effectiveness rather than just tenure, and pay more to teachers in the hardest settings and roles, while listing raising student achievement, improving teacher recruitment and retention, and empowering parents among her top priorities. Sims, in the same WUSF report, said his priorities were access to quality education, backing and retaining great teachers and staff, and connecting the community to schools and students, and he proposed adding solar power to school facilities to cut utility costs and reinvest the savings into classrooms and staff.
Big Money Flows Into a Supposedly Nonpartisan Race
Despite the officially nonpartisan nature of school board contests, the Florida Democratic Party and PACs put money and messaging into the District 3 runoff, according to LkldNow. As of Oct. 16, Wallace had reported roughly $114,000 in campaign contributions and about $76,552 in expenditures, compared to Sims' roughly $69,000 in contributions and around $53,582 in expenditures, per the Ledger's figures. LkldNow's own tally, pulled from the same campaign finance filings, put Sims' contributions at $81,485.11 against Wallace's $114,377.98 — both outlets draw on the same public filings even as their rounded figures differ slightly.
The donor rolls reveal a stark contrast in giving patterns. Sims collected 705 total contributions, including 16 that maxed out at $1,000, while Wallace brought in 294 contributions with 61 hitting that $1,000 ceiling, the outlet reports. Both candidates drew most of their money from individual donors, per the Ledger, but Wallace's list also included Julie Fancelli, daughter of Publix founder George W. Jenkins, through her trust; retired Publix executive Barney Barnett; Nicholas and Ashley Gibson Barnett; Seth McKeel; Jeb Bush Jr.; Cassidy Holdings and related companies; the Realtors PAC; a local home builders PAC; the Winter Haven 9-12 Project; and political committees tied to Senate President Ben Albritton, Jennifer Kincart Jonsson and Sheriff Grady Judd. Sims drew contributions from education associations in Orange and Marion counties.
Parties, PACs and Mailers Flood the Mailboxes
The Florida Democratic Party made two in-kind contributions to the Sims campaign worth a combined $6,159.70, plus a separate $1,000 monetary donation, according to the same LkldNow investigation. The party also paid more than $3,500 for Sims' campaign mailers, per the Ledger, and listed him among 11 school board candidates on its statewide “Take Back Local” slate. The Polk County Young Democrats and the Greater Winter Haven Democratic Club also endorsed or financially backed Sims, while the Florida Education Association and the Polk Education Association both endorsed him.
On Wallace's side, at least two PACs — Celebrate Achievement and Save Our Quality of Life — paid for mailers supporting her during the runoff, though publicly available expenditure reports did not establish exactly how much either PAC spent, LkldNow's reporting notes. A Celebrate Achievement mailer sent in October described Wallace as a lifelong Republican while attacking Sims. Wallace also picked up endorsements from DeSantis, Sheriff Judd, Florida State Board of Education Chair Ryan Petty, Polk County's four state representatives, state Rep. Justin Sharpless, and the Polk Republican Executive Committee, and she attended Republican campaign events during the runoff.
A Heated August Flashpoint Over Text Messages
The race also carried over tension from the August primary. Shortly before that election, the Wallace campaign sent voters text messages claiming Sims supported boys playing girls' sports and “woke LGBTQ indoctrination” in classrooms, the Ledger reported. Wallace said the assertions were based on Sims' status as a registered Democrat and the positions of groups supporting him. Sims denounced the claims as untrue.
The candidates have also diverged on how to fund teacher pay. Wallace, who was not on the school board when it voted to place a property-tax levy referendum on the ballot to raise revenue for employee pay, has pledged to raise teachers' salaries without increasing taxes, saying the district could fund the increases through greater efficiencies, particularly in its employee health plan. She has also promoted educational choice, including public funds for students to attend private schools, listing parental rights and school choice among her priorities, and has set a goal for the district to reach a state A grade by 2030 if elected.
The Polk County Supervisor of Elections Office continues counting ballots to determine who will serve the District 3 seat.
