Brittany Lyssy seeks Hillsborough School Board District 2 seat

Brittany Lyssy, an attorney, is running for Hillsborough County School Board District 2 in the Nov. 3 general election. She faces Daniela Simic in the nonpartisan race.

Neither candidate cleared 50% in the Aug. 18 primary, according to WTSP. Lyssy finished second with 16,566 votes, or 36.91%, behind Simic at 38.64%. Both advanced to the general election runoff.

Candidate information

Party registration: Republican, running in a nonpartisan race
Age: 31 (as of July 2026)
Education: Bachelor's degree from the University of Florida (2016) and juris doctor from Stetson University (2023), according to BallotReady profile data. Doctorate in public policy with a specialization in education policy, in progress, according to her campaign website
Bar membership: Florida Bar member, according to her campaign website
Civic involvement: Member of the Junior League of Tampa for eight years, Lyssy said, according to the Tampa Bay Times
Civic involvement: Member of the City of Tampa Citizens Advisory Budget and Finance Committee in 2025, according to her campaign website

Experience and public service

Lyssy works as an attorney at Phillips, Hayden & Labbee, LLP, according to BallotReady profile data. She previously served as director of communications and staff counsel at The Leadership Institute from 2022 to 2024, according to BallotReady profile data. She also worked as a director for Ashley Moody's attorney general campaign from 2022 to 2023.

She was a campaign coordinator for Layla Collins' Hillsborough County School Board race in 2024, according to BallotReady profile data. Lyssy also interned at the 13th Judicial Circuit, she said, according to the Tampa Bay Times. She is a former president of the Tampa Bay Young Republicans, the Tampa Bay Times reported. She said she withdrew her membership from the group after it invited Andrew and Tristan Tate to speak in February 2025.

On the issues

Lyssy said the top three issues in the district are academic achievement, fiscal responsibility and restoring order and confidence in public schools, according to WUSF.

"We must strengthen reading and math instruction, use tax dollars transparently, and put classrooms first," Lyssy said, according to WUSF.

She said she would support consistent student discipline, teacher support and retention, and strong parental involvement so families are treated as true partners in their child's education, according to WUSF.