On the heels of a South Santa Rosa News op-ed submitted by current Santa Rosa County School Board Chairwoman and District 3 Board Member Carol Boston, defending her recent vote against a recurring 2% raise for district teachers, Gulf Breeze Mom and social media influencer Kyle Connolly has entered the race.
Connolly has three children in Santa Rosa County District Schools: two at Gulf Breeze Elementary and one at Gulf Breeze Middle. However, she’s planning to relocate to District 3 (Navarre) if she defeats Boston.
She runs the Unfiltered with Kyle social media account and has more than 20,000 followers on Facebook. On TikTok, she’s amassed more than 97,000 followers on her Kyle on the Coast profile.
“I expose predators and the people who protect them. Not just in my town, but anywhere silence lets them hide. Raw truth, no sugarcoating—silence isn’t my style,” states the page’s bio.
Connolly had initially prefiled for the District 5 (Gulf Breeze) race but recently switched over to the D3 race after another challenger, Opal Mardner of Navarre, withdrew from the race in late March.
2026 SCHOOL BOARD RACES:
In addition to D3, Santa Rosa County School Board seats 1 (Milton) and 5 (Gulf Breeze) are up for re-election during the 2026 election cycle. All three incumbents have pre-filed for re-election to their respective seats.
District 1 (Milton) School Board Member Linda Sanborn, a retired longtime teacher at Milton High School, so far faces newcomer, David Farrow. She’s seeking her third term.
District 5 (Gulf Breeze) Member Scott Peden, who is seeking a third term in the seat, is presently facing two challengers: retired teacher Marie Locklin and Gulf Breeze mom and Real Estate Agent Jill Broxson-Teston.
School board races are nonpartisan, so candidates must win the Aug. 18 Primary by a margin of 50% plus one to avoid a runoff during the Nov. 3, 2026 General Election.
