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The anonymous yard signs popping up around Brevard County accusing School Board Chair Misty Belford of illegally masking children are likely illegal, according to lawyers advising Belford.
Belford said Monday that she was aware of the signs and had been contacted by lawyers encouraging her to take legal action against the anonymous sign-poster.
The signs read “REMINDER: MISTY BELFORD ILLEGALLY MASKED YOUR CHILDREN,” and have appeared next to Belford’s own campaign signs. The signs do not contain disclosures required under Florida election laws.
“They have the freedom in limited circumstances to be able to put those signs out,” Belford said. “They do not have the freedom to put them on private property where I have been given permission to place signs on private property.”
Under Florida law, political advertisements such as yard signs must disclose who paid for them, even if the person behind them is not affiliated with any candidate.
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Belford was one of three school board members who voted last fall in favor of requiring masks of students and staff members with option for parents to opt out their students without a medical reason.
The decision lead to blowback from the state; Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, the Florida Department of Health and the Florida Department of Education argued that parents alone should be responsible for deciding whether children must wear masks. The state withheld Brevard School Board member salaries for a month over the mask policy but did eventually send paychecks for that month.
State Representative Randy Fine, R-Palm Bay, a vocal critic of the school board’s mask policy, celebrated the signs on his Facebook page.
“Thanks to Matthew Dawley for putting up the best yard signs this election season!” Fine wrote, tagging his post “MistyBelfordIsAChildAbuser” and “JusticeForSofia.” Sofia is a 7-year-old girl with Down syndrome whose stepfather, Jeffery Steele, said a mask was tied tightly to her face against his wishes, making it difficult for her to breathe. A lawsuit over the incident is ongoing.
Dawley, a Brevard parent, did not publicly take credit for the signs, but posted a photo of one to his Facebook page and wrote, “look at these funny little flowers that sprouted up today.” He has not yet responded to a request for comment from FLORIDA TODAY.
Belford said she would not be taking any action against the signs.
“The reality is, I'm way too busy knocking doors and talking to voters who really worry about signs,” Belford said.
Bailey Gallion is the education reporter for FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Gallion at 321-242-3786 or bgallion@floridatoday.com.