Sara Beth Wyatt files to run for third term on Polk County School Board

Sara Beth Wyatt has filed to seek a third term on the Polk County School Board .

Wyatt, the youngest member of the seven-person board, filed paperwork this month to run in District 4 . Candidates are required to live in the district, which encompasses the Winter Haven area, though voting is done countywide.

Wyatt, president and CEO of the Winter Haven Chamber of Commerce, first gained election in 2016 at age 24, making her possibly the youngest school board member ever elected in Polk County. She prevailed by just 0.2% over Becky Troutman, despite being outspent tenfold in the campaign. Wyatt, then known as Sara Beth Reynolds, earned a place in the runoff election after finishing second behind Troutman in a four-person primary.

In 2020, Wyatt earned a second term without facing any opposition. She has served as the School Board’s chair.

Wyatt did not respond to a phone message or an email.

A graduate of Winter Haven High School, Wyatt earned a bachelor’s degree in telecommunications from the University of Florida and master’s degrees in public administration and nonprofit management from the University of Central Florida.

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Wyatt previously served as development director for Theatre Winter Haven and as program director for the Randy Roberts Foundation, a nonprofit. She serves on the boards of directors for Polk Vision, Winter Haven Public Education Partnership and Junior Achievement of Polk County, according to her biography on the Winter Haven Chamber of Commerce website.

Wyatt’s filing follows the entry of another candidate, Rebekah Ricks of Winter Haven . Ricks is a homeschool advocate and state president of Moms for America, a conservative advocacy group .

Ricks has reported about $5,100 in campaign donations since filing to run in late January.

School board races are nonpartisan. The election will take place Aug. 20.

Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on X @garywhite13.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Sara Beth Wyatt files to run for third term on Polk County School Board