A Clay County School Board member under fire for racially charged social media comments has retained an attorney and is refusing to appear before state education officials as ordered.
Florida Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas last week demanded that Robert Alvero, a Republican elected to the Clay County School Board in November 2024, appear before the State Board of Education on January 21 to explain a since-deleted video in which he disparaged African Americans.
In the video, which Alvero recorded from his car and later removed, he said he had “80 percent more negative experience with the African American community” than with white people, describing the majority of African Americans he claimed to have encountered as “nasty,” “rude,” “problematic,” and “always trying to fight.”
While acknowledging he had positive relationships with some African Americans, he characterized them as a minority and said he agreed with polarizing pundit Nick Fuentes’ assertion that “everybody has a little bit of racism in them.”
The remarks drew swift condemnation from state and local officials.
In a sharply worded letter, Kamoutsas questioned how someone responsible for overseeing the education of approximately 39,000 students could make such statements, noting that nearly 7,000 students in the district are African American and that the school system employs many African American educators and staff.
“I can only pray that the children of Clay County have been protected from your discriminatory content,” Kamoutsas wrote, ordering Alvero to appear before the state board on Jan. 21 to “explain the conduct.”
Alvero has not publicly responded to the commissioner’s letter and but declined to meet with state officials through his new lawyer.
He has retained attorney Anthony Sabatini of Lake City, who issued a statement defending his client and denouncing the backlash as politically motivated.
Sabatini said Alvero is facing “ridiculous criticism” over “so-called ‘racist’ and ‘politically incorrect’ remarks,” calling the reaction “fake outrage” driven by “woke political actors” attempting to revive “cancel culture.”
Sabatini warned that any attempt by the state to discipline Alvero would result in litigation.
Calls for Alvero’s resignation quickly mounted after his comments circulated.
Clay County Republican Chair Rhonda Jett publicly demanded that he step down, saying his remarks do not reflect community values. School Board Chair Erin Skipper echoed that call and said the issue will be addressed at the board’s January 8 meeting.
Alvero, who is of Cuban descent and has said he fled his native country, won his seat in November with 54 percent of the vote.
