Santa Rosa County, Florida

Santa Rosa County School Board District 1

What this office does

School board member. The school board is the governing body of a public school district. It hires and evaluates the superintendent, adopts the district budget, sets policies on curriculum, discipline, attendance boundaries and facilities, and approves contracts and collective bargaining agreements. Day-to-day operations belong to the superintendent; the board sets direction and holds the administration accountable.

This race. Nonpartisan: candidates appear without party labels. The sitting officeholder, Linda Sanborn, is on the ballot.

Florida › Santa Rosa County › Santa Rosa County School Board District 1

Decided at the 2026 primary: Linda Sanborn won the seat

DECIDED August 18: Linda Sanborn, the sitting board member, won the nonpartisan race with 56.55 percent of the vote (16,347 votes) over David Farrow (43.45 percent, 12,558), per the Santa Rosa County Supervisor of Elections' posted results (not labeled official on the results site as of September 29); this race will not appear on the November 3 ballot.

Winner

Linda Sanborn

Nonpartisan Incumbent

Top priorities

Higher teacher compensation through earlier annual negotiations
Maintaining educational quality by scrutinizing expenditures
Regular town halls at rotating locations

Per the Florida Trib.

Biography

Linda Sanborn is a retired teacher with 35 years in the classroom, 28 of them at Milton High School, and co-owner of Adventures Unlimited Outdoor Center, per the Florida Trib and the school district's board page.

Campaign finance

$22,750 raised · county campaign-finance filings

Also ran in the primary

David Farrow

Nonpartisan

Top priorities

Addressing spending inefficiencies in the district
Cost disclosure on school board agenda items
Higher teacher pay and individualized learning

Per the Florida Trib.

Biography

David Farrow owned and operated businesses for more than four decades, including an appliance repair store, and served in the U.S. Army, per the Florida Trib.

Campaign finance

$12,300 raised · county campaign-finance filings

Next on your ballotSanta Rosa County School Board District 5

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Voting info and more

Questions about this race

Who is running for Santa Rosa County School Board District 1 in 2026?

The Santa Rosa County School Board District 1 race was decided at the 2026 primary - Linda Sanborn won the seat - and does not appear on the November 3, 2026 ballot. 2 candidates were on the primary ballot: Linda Sanborn and David Farrow. Candidate information follows official Santa Rosa County election filings; verify with the official election office linked below.

When is the Santa Rosa County School Board District 1 election in Florida?

Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Registration deadlines, early voting dates and mail ballot rules for Florida are on the Florida election hub at theballotbrief.com.

How do I see my exact Santa Rosa County ballot?

Enter your ZIP code in the lookup at theballotbrief.com for the statewide and congressional races, or a full street address to add the county, city and district contests for that location.

Verify this race

Candidate roster from official Santa Rosa County Supervisor of Elections filings, last verified September 29, 2026. Bios and priorities carry their attribution inline.

Cross-check with the official Florida election office, or see the full Santa Rosa County sample ballot and your exact ballot by address.

The rest of your Santa Rosa County ballot

5 tracked races in Santa Rosa County, Florida. Landed here from another county's search? Look up your own ballot below.

Also on your ballot

Navarre Beach Fire Rescue District Seat 5 Holley-Navarre Fire District Seat 3 Florida House District 2 See all 5 Santa Rosa County races

Candidate profiles

Linda Sanborn, full profile David Farrow, full profile Official Florida election office