Five things to know about the man DeSantis appointed twice to the Broward School Board
Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Daniel Foganholi to the Broward School Board on Thursday, effective immediately.
He replaced Rodney “Rod” Velez, whom voters elected Nov. 8 but who can’t hold office because of his former criminal conviction. To be an elected official, a convicted felon has to have his or her civil rights restored, and Velez hasn’t done that.
READ MORE: DeSantis reappoints Broward School Board member who led effort to fire superintendent
Foganholi will be sworn in Jan 18 to represent District 1, which covers Hollywood, west Pembroke Pines, Miramar, north Hallandale Beach and south Dania Beach.
Here are five things to know about him:
1. This is his second time on the board
DeSantis first appointed Foganholi, 36, to the School Board on April 29 to fill the seat vacated by Rosalind Osgood, who stepped down in March to run for the Florida Senate. (She won.) He was sworn in the first time on May 3 to the District 5 seat, which extends from northwest Fort Lauderdale to east Sunrise, and from southwest Oakland Park to northeast Plantation.
Torey Alston, whom DeSantis had appointed to the Broward County Commission in November 2021 and then appointed to the Broward School Board in August, swore Foganholi in. Alston called Foganholi a “good friend” at the time.
2. He led the charge to fire the superintendent
During a Nov. 14 meeting that stretched late into Monday evening, the Broward School Board fired Superintendent Vickie Cartwright in a 5-4 vote. On Dec. 14, a new board rescinded that firing, but at the November meeting, the move to dismiss her came from Foganholi — a day before his term was up Nov. 15.
After a passionate speech that Monday night by Alston detailing what he described as incompetence and deceit from the school district, Foganholi abruptly proposed to get rid of Cartwright — an item that was not listed on the meeting’s agenda and some legal experts have suggested violated the state’s Sunshine Law. (Elected officials have to post items in advance on governmental agendas about issues they intend to bring up. The item on the Broward School Board agenda had to do with a district audit, not a discussion of whether to fire Cartwright.)
WATCH: Video of the Broward School Board’s voting on Superintendent Cartwright’s firing
Foganholi referenced an Oct. 26 meeting, in which the School Board refrained from firing Cartwright and instead voted unanimously to place her on a 90-day probationary period. In the Nov. 14 meeting, Foganholi urged the board to cut her off completely.
“Broward County has no room for corruption; we have to make that statement,” he said. “It goes back to the day I was very vocal when we left with the vote for the 90 days. But I’m going to do today what I think I should’ve done then. I’d like to make a motion ... to terminate the superintendent without cause and discuss immediate separation from the district.”
Alston seconded his motion.
3. He lost an election recently
Foganholi couldn’t run in the Nov. 8 election to keep the Broward School Board District 5 seat because he didn’t live in the district. (Appointees don’t have to live in the district, but those elected do.)
He chose to run for the Coral Springs City Commission Seat 2 instead, but lost against incumbent Shawn Cerra, first elected in June 2019. Foganholi got about 39 percent of the vote; Cerra won with about 61 percent.
Cerra worked as a principal of J.P. Taravella High School, one of Broward County’s largest public schools, for 14 years. He now works as the director of athletics and student activities for the Broward School Board.
Before that race, Foganholi had also filed to run as a Republican for the Florida District 97 House seat. But he did not appear on the ballot for the Republican primary on Aug. 23.
4. College and work
According to his LinkedIn page, Foganholi earned his associate’s degree from Palm Beach State College in July 2021. His profile doesn’t include any further degrees, but adds some coursework at other institutions.
In 2020, he completed a class in global diplomacy from the University of London, as well as two classes in American contract law and a third in the moral foundation of politics from Yale University. In 2019, he completed five business courses at the University of Notre Dame.
As of April, he worked as a design consultant for Arhaus, an Ohio-based retail chain that designs and sells furniture, according to the press release from DeSantis’ office announcing his appointment to the Broward School Board.
That release mentioned he served as director of strategic partnerships for the Brazilian American Coalition, a nonprofit that helps Brazilian Americans. The press release from the governor issued Thursday only mentioned this role.
5. Brazilian family
Foganholi’s family comes from Brazil. During his swearing-in ceremony last spring, he thanked his parents for migrating to the United States.
“My parents came here from Brazil with a dream to make a better future for our family, for me, for my sister,” he said. “They came to the U.S. for opportunity — and this is what opportunity looks like, this is what the American dream looks like.”
Foganholi is married to Alyssa Foganholi, a teacher at Chesterbrook Academy, a private pre-school in Coconut Creek, according to her LinkedIn page. Together, they have a toddler, Daniel Jr., and a daughter, Mila, born Oct. 11.
