Polls open at 7 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 18, and every registered voter in Polk County, including all of Lakeland, can cast a ballot in three Polk County Public Schools Board races. They are nonpartisan and countywide: your party and your address do not limit which of the three you vote in. The seven candidates have raised a combined $264,315, and the people writing those checks include companies that build and develop schools in the district your kids attend.
The seats up are Districts 3, 5 and 6. Whoever wins helps set a budget of more than a billion dollars, decides which schools get built and repaired first, and votes on classroom policy.
Where the money came from
Campaign finance reports for the closed fundraising period, reviewed by local media outlets, show wide gaps in both totals and geography. Some candidates are funded almost entirely by neighbors. Others are not.
| Candidate | Raised | In-county |
|---|---|---|
| Kate Wallace (D3) | ~$67,000 | 57% |
| Sarah Corona (D3) | ~$35,000 | 71% |
| Victor Sims (D3) | $21,000+ | 63% |
| Kay Fields (D5) | ~$26,500 | 93% |
| Sam Neelam (D5) | $45,016 | 74% |
| Justin Sharpless (D6) | $55,300 | 42% |
| Kasen Hampton (D6) | ~$2,380 | n/a |
A contribution does not prove a vote. Finance records show who paid, not why, and not how anyone will act once seated. Read the numbers as a map of who has a stake, not as a verdict.
District 3: Wallace, Corona, Sims
Kate Wallace, a Bartow native, was appointed to the seat by Gov. Ron DeSantis on Nov. 7, 2025. She has raised close to twice what either opponent has, including $5,000 of her own money and 34 donations at the $1,000 legal maximum. Forty-three percent of her contributions came from outside Polk County. Several of her larger checks trace to real estate, development and construction firms.
Sarah Corona, a first-time candidate who runs mental health clinics, raised nearly $35,000 across 121 contributions, the highest in-county share in her race at 71%. She put $5,000 into her own campaign, structured as a $4,000 loan and a $1,000 donation. Her report also includes construction money: $1,000 from ORB Construction Management and $500 from Pollard Construction.
Victor Sims took in the most separate contributions of anyone in District 3 and the smallest average gift, $72. His two largest donors are former School Board member Sarah Fortney and the Florida Pipeline Project, a nonprofit that funds progressive candidates.
District 5: Fields, Neelam
Kay Fields has served on the board since 2002 and says this would be her last term. She has the most locally funded campaign of any candidate on the ballot: 93% in-county. She also loaned herself $9,000 and donated $1,100. Her donor list includes three former Lakeland mayors, among them her husband, Gow Fields, plus Bill Mutz and Howard Wiggs.
Sam Neelam, a software entrepreneur and Florida Polytechnic University trustee who moved into District 5 in April, is the most self-financed candidate in the field. Of his $45,016, he put in $40,000.
District 6: Sharpless, Hampton
The sharpest contrast is here. Incumbent Justin Sharpless collected $55,300 across 106 contributions, with 58% coming from outside Polk County. A large share of it comes from people and companies tied to school construction, school property development and the charter school industry, including Public School Development Solutions, Public School Property Development and Mavericks In Education.
His challenger, 19-year-old Kasen Hampton, has reported roughly $2,380 in monetary contributions on the county's campaign finance listing. At the July 16 candidate forum in Lakeland, Hampton said he was denied admission to a charter school because of his Individualized Education Program, and that his priority would be making sure students get their services no matter which school they attend.
The Kathleen Middle connection
One name shows up on all three incumbents' reports: Jason Rodda, owner of Rodda Construction. The company has ongoing business with the district. The board recently named Rodda construction manager-at-risk for the structural stabilization project at Kathleen Middle School in Lakeland, and the firm is listed as a contractor on a new Poinciana-area high school.
How to vote Tuesday
Early voting ended Saturday, Aug. 15, and the deadline to request a mail ballot passed Aug. 6. If you still have a vote-by-mail ballot sitting on the kitchen counter, do not put it in the mail. It has to be in the Supervisor of Elections' hands by 7 p.m. Tuesday, at Election Headquarters in Bartow or the Operations Center in Winter Haven.
Otherwise, vote at your assigned precinct between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Precinct assignments and sample ballots are on the Polk County Supervisor of Elections site. Results post after polls close Tuesday night, and the winners join a board that is expected to take up a proposed property tax referendum for November.
More at Lakeland Community Website. Voting Tuesday, or already voted? Tell us what decided it for you and join the conversation in our Community Forum. You can also read more education stories and follow local government and politics coverage.
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