Kimberly Coward and Dr. Gino Collura will face each other Nov. 3 for the open Pasco County School Board District 1 seat, which includes parts of Land O' Lakes and Wesley Chapel, after finishing first and second in the Aug. 18 four-candidate primary.
Coward led the field with 35.3% of the vote. Collura followed at 31%, according to the Hernando Sun. Christopher King took 20.3% and Brian Perras finished with 13.4%, eliminating both.
The seat opened because incumbent Al Hernandez did not seek reelection. District 1 covers northern and western Pasco County, including Dade City, Zephyrhills and San Antonio alongside the Land O' Lakes and Wesley Chapel areas.
Who's advancing
Collura, 40, of San Antonio, is a business consultant and University of South Florida-educated behavioral scientist. Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed him to the Pasco-Hernando State College Board of Trustees, and he earned endorsements from Pasco Superintendent John Legg and outgoing Sheriff Chris Nocco. He led the field in fundraising during much of the campaign, aided by political committees and conservative groups, according to the Hernando Sun.
"A huge deciding factor in running is the volume of explosive growth that's happening in this county," Collura told WUSF in a July 27 candidate profile. "Change management is something I do on a regular basis on the behavioral side."
Coward is a lawyer and former Dade City guidance counselor who holds an education doctorate and law degree from the University of Florida. She previously served as a judge at MacDill Air Force Base and recently returned to Pasco County. Her campaign relied more heavily on individual contributions but also drew from Democratic-aligned donors, the Hernando Sun reported.
Both previously worked for the Pasco school district.
Turnout and what's next
Countywide, 86,103 of 400,459 registered voters cast ballots, an unofficial turnout of 21.5%, according to results posted by the Pasco Supervisor of Elections with all 122 precincts reporting. That trailed the 24.8% turnout in the August 2022 midterm primary.
School board races in Florida are nonpartisan and appear on all ballots regardless of party affiliation.
The winner will join a board facing potential school closures or mergers tied to shifting enrollment, new rules on student screen time and artificial intelligence, bus route changes and a November property tax referendum. The district earned its first overall A grade from the state in more than a decade this year.
Coward and Collura will appear on all Pasco County ballots Nov. 3.
