Florida Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas speaks about the racial comments of a Clay County School Board member. | News4Jax
Published on January 21, 2026 at 12:22 pm
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Florida’s education commissioner lambasted a Clay County School Board member Wednesday after he failed to show up at Florida Board of Education meeting to explain disparaging comments he made about Black people.
The board summoned Robert Alvero after he posted a Facebook Live video saying, “I have had 80% more negative experience with the African American community in this country than with white people.”
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He continued: “With that being said, doesn’t mean I haven’t had good experiences with African American people. I have met a lot of great African American people, and I am still friends with them because they’re good, decent people. But that’s the 20% of the people I have met. They’re African Americans. The other 80%, they’re being nasty. They’re being rude. They’re being problematic. Always trying to fight. Always disrespecting. So why would I want to be around people like that?”
Florida Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas immediately criticized Alvero for “unprofessional conduct” and “discriminatory” language to describe African Americans.
Community leaders called on the Clay County School Board to affirm a clear code of conduct for board members that “prohibits discriminatory or demeaning public statements.”
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Faith and civic leaders also suggested mandatory training in bias and anti-racism for all board members and senior administrators.
On Wednesday, Kamoutsas spoke directly to an absent Alvero about his “dumb” and “hurtful” comments.
“Ducking the consequences of your actions by refusing to stand to account before this board only furthers your lack of leadership,” Kamoutsas said. “I hope the young people of Clay County are NOT watching this, because you’re setting a poor example of how adults in positions of authority should handle accountability.”
Kamoutsas said the Legislature should look at the state school board’s authority with regard to school board members who seek to elevate themselves for political reasons, disregarding their duty to educate children.
