Katrina Wilson: the record

Who is Katrina Wilson?

Katrina Wilson is a candidate for Miami-Dade School Board District 1 in the runoff on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. She resigned from the Miami Gardens City Council to run for the School Board.¹²

In 1996 she became principal of Liberty City Charter School, Florida's first charter school, under the name Katrina Wilson-Davis.^1,6 The Miami-Dade School Board closed that school in 2008 because of its finances.³ She is president of the board of The Charter School of Excellence and vice president of the Florida Consortium of Public Charter Schools.^13,14

Is Katrina Wilson the same person as Katrina Wilson-Davis?

Yes. News coverage of Liberty City Charter School names its principal as Katrina Wilson-Davis.^1,4 Katrina Wilson's campaign website says she was appointed principal and CEO of Liberty City Charter School in 1996.⁶

Her campaign website also says she is a founding officer and vice president of the Florida Consortium of Charter Schools.⁶ That group's board page lists “Katrina Wilson-Davis, Vice President.”⁷

What was Liberty City Charter School?

Liberty City Charter School was Florida's first charter school. It opened in 1996. Jeb Bush founded it with T. Willard Fair of the Urban League of Greater Miami, two years before Bush was elected governor.^1,4

Bush picked Wilson-Davis as principal six weeks before the school opened. The Washington Post described her then as “a 32-year-old social studies teacher with no management experience.”¹ She recalls Bush telling her, “We need someone who carries a knife in her teeth.”¹ Fair told the New York Times the school wanted “an inexperienced person” who would not be beholden to teachers unions.²

Why did Liberty City Charter School close?

The Miami-Dade School Board closed Liberty City Charter School in 2008 because of its finances.³ The Miami Herald reported that school leaders “had lost a legal battle with the landlord over a damaged roof and owed $500,000 in legal fees,” then “plunged even deeper into debt by purchasing a new piece of property.”³

The debt grew to $1 million, according to the Washington Post.¹ The Associated Press reported that the school “closed after eight years because of severe financial problems but not before receiving $1.1 million in state capital funds.”⁵ The school board voted to “immediately terminate the contract.”² The New York Times later called the empty campus “a ruin baking in the Miami sun.”²

What are Katrina Wilson's ties to the charter-school industry?

Katrina Wilson is president of the board of The Charter School of Excellence and vice president of the Florida Consortium of Public Charter Schools. Both nonprofits filed 2026 annual reports with the Florida Department of State.^13,14

The Charter School of Excellence, Inc. filed its report on May 1, 2026. The report lists “Wilson, Katrina” as president. She signed it herself, as president.¹³ The school's governing board page also lists her as president.⁸ The Florida Auditor General's audit report for fiscal year 2023–24 lists “Katrina Wilson-Davis, President.”⁹

The Florida Consortium of Public Charter Schools, Inc. filed its report on April 10, 2026. The report lists “Wilson-Davis, Katrina” as vice president. It lists Robert Haag as president, Devarn Flowers as secretary and Fernando Zulueta as treasurer.¹⁴ Devarn Flowers is also vice president of The Charter School of Excellence.¹³

The Charter School of Excellence, 2026 state filing (PDF) Florida Consortium of Public Charter Schools, 2026 state filing (PDF)

Who is funding Katrina Wilson's School Board campaign?

Katrina Wilson's campaign reported $55,055 in contributions through Sept. 18, 2026. That total includes a $20,000 loan from Wilson herself on July 8, 2026. The campaign reported $8,793.52 in spending in the same period.¹⁵

Other contributors gave $35,055. Of that, $13,350 came from contributors who listed jobs in real estate, school management, school finance or education consulting. That is 38% of the money from other people.¹⁵

On July 30, 2026, the campaign reported five $1,000 contributions. Three came from the same Coral Gables office suite and listed real-estate jobs: Mitzvah Funding, LLC, Michael D. Wohl and M.A.H.B. Realty, Inc. A fourth contributor at that suite, Anthem View LLC, listed healthcare and insurance services. The fifth, BL Funding LLC, listed “real estate lender.”¹⁵

All dates are in 2026. Jobs are as the campaign reported them, with spacing restored. Street addresses of individual contributors are left out. The full report is public in the Miami-Dade campaign finance search.¹⁵

Have charter-school leaders given money to Katrina Wilson's campaign?

Yes. On July 15, 2026, her campaign reported three $1,000 contributions from school-management and school-finance contributors.¹⁵

• Fernando Zulueta listed his job as “CEO of Academica.”¹⁵ Academica says it “supports a dynamic network of high-performing public charter schools.”¹⁶ The Florida Consortium of Public Charter Schools lists Fernando Zulueta as its treasurer. Katrina Wilson is its vice president.¹⁴
• Ignacio G. Zulueta listed “educational management.”¹⁵
• School Development HC Finance LLC listed “school finance.” It gave the same street address as Fernando Zulueta: 6340 Sunset Drive.¹⁵ Academica lists that address for its Miami office.¹⁷

On July 26, 2026, Bob Haag of Davie gave $1,000 and listed “real estate investor.”¹⁵ The Consortium's 2026 state filing lists Robert Haag as its president, at a Davie address.¹⁴

On July 8, 2026, Florida School Services, Inc. gave $1,000 and listed “educational consulting.”¹⁵

Can charter schools move into Miami-Dade public schools for free?

Some can. A 2025 Florida law lets charter operators approved as “Schools of Hope” open inside a public school that has underused or vacant space.¹⁸ The Miami Herald reported that the rent for a Schools of Hope operator in a Miami-Dade public school building is zero.²⁰ In February 2026, WUSF reported that under the State Board of Education's narrower rules, charters would still pay no rent. Public schools would still pay for maintenance and food.¹⁹

Miami-Dade is losing students. The district lost about 13,000 students in 2025–26 and expects to lose 8,000 more next year. In June 2026, the School Board approved four school mergers.²³ Lisette Fernandez, a Miami-Dade Council PTA member, said: “Public schools close, charters move in.”²³

By November 2025, Miami-Dade had received 90 notices from Schools of Hope operators: 81 from Mater Academy, four from KIPP and five from Success Academy.²⁰ WLRN reported that Fernando Zulueta and his brother Ignacio built a group of charter networks that contract with Academica, including the Mater academies.²¹ On July 15, 2026, Fernando Zulueta, who listed his job as CEO of Academica, gave Katrina Wilson's campaign $1,000. Ignacio G. Zulueta, who listed “educational management,” gave $1,000 the same day.¹⁵

The School Board votes on these agreements. Districts have 20 days to object, and they can cite “material impracticability.”²⁰ In April 2026, the board approved Success Academy's plan to open inside five high schools starting in August 2027: Hialeah-Miami Lakes, Homestead, Miami Jackson, North Miami and Westland Hialeah.¹⁸ Board member Danny Espino said, “We're required to make a vote with a gun to our head.”¹⁸ Success Academy will pay a yearly fee of $700 per student. WLRN reported that the fee is “insufficient to cover all proportional costs the District will incur.”¹⁸

For some charter companies, real estate is part of the business. In 2011, StateImpact Florida reported on a Miami Herald investigation into Academica. It found that the Zuluetas controlled more than $115 million in South Florida real estate through more than two dozen companies. Those companies collected about $19 million in lease payments from charter schools in one year.²²

Is Success Academy opening a charter school inside North Miami Senior High?

Yes. The School Board votes on Schools of Hope agreements.²⁰ In April 2026, the board approved Success Academy's plan to open inside five high schools starting in August 2027. North Miami Senior High is one of the five.¹⁸ The Miami Times reported that North Miami Senior High “will co-locate with a charter school beginning in August 2027.”²³

North Miami Senior High is in School Board District 1.²⁵ The District 1 seat is on the Nov. 3, 2026, runoff ballot.¹²

What did Katrina Wilson propose on Miami Gardens term limits?

As a Miami Gardens council member, Katrina Wilson proposed letting council members serve three four-year terms instead of two. She first introduced it in June 2024. The city's Charter Review Committee rejected it, and she brought it back in March 2025.¹⁰

The Miami Times reported that a special election on the change could cost up to $200,000. Putting the question on the 2026 general election ballot instead would cost up to $6,000.¹⁰ In April 2025, Mayor Rodney Harris told the council “there will be no item brought for a third term.”¹¹

Why did Katrina Wilson leave the Miami Gardens City Council?

Katrina Wilson resigned from the Miami Gardens City Council to run for the School Board.¹²

When is the Miami-Dade School Board District 1 runoff?

The runoff is on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. Katrina Wilson and Linda Cothiere are the two candidates. In the eight-candidate primary on Aug. 18, Wilson received 33% of the vote and Cothiere 21%.¹²