(This article was revised to remove an incorrect reference to an endorsement for Kate Wallace.)
Kay Fields earned a seventh term on the Polk County School Board, while appointed incumbent Kate Wallace was forced into a runoff election.
Fields rebuffed a challenge from Sam Neelam, a conservative candidate seeking to unseat her in District 5. Fields had 57% of the vote, compared to 43% for Neelam, with about 93% of the vote reported as of 8:55 p.m. on Aug. 18.
The figures are unofficial results posted by the Polk County Supervisor of Elections Office.
Neelam, making his first run for office, had an advantage in campaign funds. His total of about $45,000 in contributions included $40,000 that he gave his own campaign.
Fields reported about $37,000 in campaign donations.
Polk Republicans endorsed and promoted Neelam, while asserting that Fields had been on the School Board for too long.
Neelam drew endorsements from the Polk Republican Executive Committee and former state Sen. Kelli Stargel, among others. Fields’ endorsements included the Polk Education Association’s Victory PAC and Business Voice.
Fields, first elected in 2002, is president and CEO of Girls Inc. of Lakeland, a program for girls in all school grades. The Mississippi native holds a bachelor’s degree in English and secondary education from the University of Southern Mississippi.
Neelam, an immigrant from India, is a software engineer and entrepreneur. He moved to Lakeland this year after previously living in the Davenport area.
Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Neelam in 2025 to the Board of Trustees of Florida Polytechnic University.
The Florida Legislature passed a law in 2023 limiting school board members statewide to two terms or eight years, but it does not apply retroactively. Therefore, Fields was allowed to seek another term.
Wallace, Sims headed to runoff
Challenger Victor Sims forced a runoff election with Wallace, the appointed incumbent in District 3.
Wallace had received 45.4% of the vote at 8:55 p.m., leading a three-person field but not reaching the majority needed to avoid a runoff. Sims had 35.3%, and Sarah Corona stood at 19.3%.
The result means that Wallace and Sims will vie in a runoff race held with the general election of Nov. 3.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Wallace in November 2025 to fill a vacancy that arose with the death of School Board member Rick Nolte three months earlier.
Wallace, director of state government affairs for Charter Communications, is a Bartow native and a graduate of the International Baccalaureate School at Bartow High School. She has worked for a nonprofit founded by former Gov. Jeb Bush that promoted school choice and as the leader of a local nonprofit now called ConnectED Polk.
Wallace had a significant advantage in campaign funding. She reported nearly $73,000 in contributions through Aug. 13. Her most recent report included donations of $1,000 from the Realtors Political Action Committee in Orlando and $500 from the Local Home Builders PAC, based in Tallahassee.
Wallace also gave her own campaign $5,000.
Sims reported more than $27,000 in campaign donations, while Corona received more than $31,000.
Sharpless wins in District 6
Justin Sharpless, a Lake Wales resident, easily defeated challenger Kasen Hampton to earn a second four-year term, holding 67.6% of the vote as of 8:55 p.m., with 93% of voting in Polk reported. Hampton had 32.4% of the reported total.
An agriculture professor at Warner University, Sharpless currently serves as School Board chair. He is also vice president of the Florida School Board Association.
Sharpless had an overwhelming edge in campaign funds. He reported more than $57,000 in campaign contributions, compared with about $2,400 for Hampton, a student at Polk State College. Sharpless received some large donations from people and entities involved with school construction and charter school networks.
The Polk Republican Party endorsed Sharpless.
The overall participation rate in the primary election was 19.86%, the Supervisor of Elections Office reported. That improved on the turnout rate of 17.21% in the 2024 primary election.
Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on X @garywhite13.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Fields wins 7th Polk School Board term; Wallace, Sims head to a runoff
Reporting by Gary White, Lakeland Ledger / The Ledger
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By Gary White, Lakeland Ledger | USA TODAY Network
