Rep Donalds Sued Over Threat to School Board Member

A civil assault lawsuit filed this week accuses U.S. Representative Byron Donalds, a leading Republican candidate for Florida governor, of threatening a local school board member during a confrontation at a Naples grocery store in August 2022. The suit, brought by Collier County School Board member Kelly Mason, alleges the incident occurred in front of her husband and two young children and lands roughly one month before Florida’s August 18 Republican primary, where Donalds holds a significant lead.

According to the court filing, the encounter took place at the Seed to Table grocery store. Mason alleges that Donalds deliberately confronted and aggressively cornered her, demanding she drop a separate lawsuit involving his wife, Erika Donalds. The complaint claims Donalds threatened that he could “crush” or “finish” her. Video footage recorded by a family member reportedly shows Donalds raising his voice and telling Mason, “End it Kelly. Stop the lawsuits,” as she walked away. Mason stated the congressman became “very belligerent” and that the exchange was intimidating.

The dispute is tied to a prior legal conflict over Mason Classical Academy, a public charter school Mason...