Florida Department of Education ensnared in federal investigation

Federal authorities are looking into how the Florida Department of Education may have steered a contract to help run the Jefferson County School District toward a former GOP state representative and colleague of former Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran. | Mark Wallheiser/AP PhotoTALLAHASSEE, Fla.

The federal grand jury, which issued the subpoena in late June, could ultimately shed more light on a scandal that produced outrageThe investigation centers around a contract sought by Florida in 2021 to help transition Jefferson County schools back to becoming a traditional local school district. A charter company had operated Jefferson County schools since 2017-18 after years of poor academic performance and financial turmoil.

The Florida Department of Education, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment, previously investigated Andy Tuck, a citrus grower first appointed to the state board in 2014, and Melissa Ramsey, the vice chancellor for strategic improvement at the agency, to determine if they broke conflict-of-interest rules by attempting to leverage their positions to score the contract with the state.

The federal subpoena requests mounds of records in an attempt to gain more details about meetings and inner workings between state, local officials and other players, naming Ramsey, former K-12 chancellor Jacob Oliva and Suzanne Pridgeon, FLDOE deputy commissioner for finance and operations.

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