Tony Ricardo
Non-Partisan | Florida
Candidate Profile*
Conservative
BIOGRAPHY
Name
Tony Ricardo
Party
Non-Partisan
Election Year
2024
Election
Primary
Race
Duval County Public Schools School Board, District 1
Incumbent
No
Links
EDUCATION
Jacksonville University, Jacksonville, FL, B.A., 1981
WORK & MILITARY
Ricardo Designs, Since 1992
AFFILIATIONS
New Covenant Christian Academy, elementary classroom teacher, Duval County Public Schools
high school teacher and athletic coach, Northside Assembly Of God/ First Coast Christian Center, Deacon Board; Secretary Of The Board; Teacher; Missionary; Choir
POLITICAL OFFICES HELD
Candidate did not provide
POLITICAL OFFICES SOUGHT
Candidate did not provide
ENDORSEMENTS*
CONSERVATIVE (3)
*Ron DeSantis
Republican Liberty Caucus of Northeast Florida
Fraternal Order of Police Jacksonville, FL Lodge 5-30
OTHER (1)
Stand4Jax
REPORTED BY CANDIDATE (6)
Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5-30
Stand4Jax
Duval Republican Assembly
Duval County Republican Executive Committee
City Councilman Mike Gay (my district)
SELECTED FINANCIAL SOURCE DOCUMENTS
Campaign Treasurer's Report - P2 (06/15/2024 - 06/28/2024) from Duval County Supervisor of Elections
Selected contributions/expenditures:
- $100.00 contribution from Republican Club of West Jax
Campaign Treasurer's Report - P1 (06/01/2024 - 06/14/2024) from Duval County Supervisor of Elections
Selected contributions/expenditures:
- $1,000.00 contribution from William Gay (City Council Rep)
- $40.00 expenditure to Republican Women's Club
OTHER INFORMATION
QUESTIONNAIRE
RIGHT TO LIFE
Human life begins at conception and deserves legal protection at every stage until natural death.
Strongly Agree
What role should the school serve in helping a student with an unwanted or crisis pregnancy?
I believe it is ultimately the parents responsibility, and local churches to reach out to these students; the public schools should not hinder the student from continuing their education by allowing them to complete their studies.
ECONOMY
Free enterprise and the right to private property are essential elements of a productive economic system.
Strongly Agree
What is your position on government funding of public education from Pre-K through college?
I believe the current funding of K-12 makes a good general education available to most children, if properly managed, and would provide communities an informed, intelligent, and capable foundation for productive citizens. Higher education (college) should be funded by the private sector, or the States, so as not to overburden taxpayers.
RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
Teachers should be required to instruct students on mandated curriculum even if it would violate their moral and/or religious beliefs.
Disagree
I do not believe a teacher should be required to instruct students in a way that would violate their moral or sincerely held religious convictions; however, teachers must realize at the outset of their careers, that this country was founded on Judeo-Christian principles, and as such, is part of the fabric and history that makes the country what it is, and has been through history.
EDUCATION
Abortion and gender-affirming providers, including Planned Parenthood, should be a resource for instruction or services in the school.
Strongly Disagree
Consistent discipline creates a safe and orderly environment, which is essential for student learning.
Strongly Agree
Real learning cannot take place in a chaotic environment as it frustrates students' as well as the teachers' efforts. This, I believe, is one of the most important issues to resolve in order to make public education competitive with the other options (charter and private schools) available. Teachers, as well as students leave the public system primarily for student behavior issues, and is the reason I left teaching.
Do you believe print and digital material available or presented to students should be easily accessible for public review, including those without children enrolled in school?
Yes
Private citizens who do not have children in the schools have a vested interest in what goes on there. Their lives are impacted by the level of education that takes place, but more importantly, they are stakeholders as taxpayers- who fund the public school system.
Educators should give students a thorough education in America's founding documents and cultivate American patriotism.
Strongly Agree
An American student should be knowledgeable enough to understand how this country came to be; how it has progressed through adversity and sacrifice; and how it was designed to operate, as well as how it operates today.
I support Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).
Strongly Disagree
I believe the current DEI model seeks "equality" based on more than just societal disparities, and actually creates an hostile environment based on reverse discrimination. The country has made great strides in making laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, gender, disability, or creed, and extending these protections further actually begins to discriminate against the vast majority of citizens. I am against the use of DEI to indoctrinate students.
I support eliminating the U.S. Department of Education and giving control back to states and communities.
Strongly Agree
It would seem there are a lot of rules, tests, and mandates that proceed out of the Federal office, and a very large amount of money sent there, but not a lot of benefit to the local schools. I believe more local accountability would make more sense, and cost the taxpayers a lot less.
Please list in order the following priorities in relation to the role of a K-12 public school (omitting any that do not apply): American History, Art & Music, Civics, Critical Race Theory, Foreign Language, Gender Identity, Information Technology, Language Arts, Mathematics, Personal Finances, Physical Fitness, Political Activism, Science, Sexuality, Social Emotional Learning, Vocational Learning
Language arts; Mathematics; Science; Civics; American History; Personal Finance; Art/ Music; Physical Fitness; Foreign Language; Information Tech; Vocational Learning. I do not believe there is a place for CRT, Social Emotional Learning, or Political Activism in a school setting, and are the domain of the parents. Sexuality and Gender Identity are also the realm of the parents to instruct, and offers too many opportunities for abuse and indoctrination.
The state should fund education by allowing dollars to follow the child instead of the bureaucracy, through a program which allows parents the freedom to choose their child's school – public, private, or homeschool.
Agree
I believe competition brings about change for the better, and that monopolies generally produce mediocrity. The challenge for public education is to raise the standards of student performance and expectations to a level where the choices become more difficult to make.
Which should students have: equity of outcomes or equality of opportunities?
Nothing can guarantee equity of outcome short of cheating. Students should be provided every possible opportunity without prejudice.
Which type of written parental consent should be obtained before students are taught courses such as Comprehensive Sex Education (CSE)? (A) Opt-In. (B) Opt-Out. (C) None.
Opt-In
VALUES
Briefly describe your spiritual beliefs and values.
I am a devout, Bible-believing, blood-bought follower of Jesus Christ- a Christian, who believes in the sanctity of (God- ordained) marriage; the strength of the traditional family unit; the many practical principles laid out in Scripture; and accountability for the life I live here on earth. I believe in living within my means, and that the government should do the same. I believe in not only following the Golden Rule, but teaching it to others when opportunity presents. I value my family, both blood and church, and the opportunity to serve my community as God allows.
Who is responsible for teaching sexual education to children, and what is the appropriate age when it should be taught?
I believe ultimately that it is the parents' responsibility for teaching sexual education to their children, and that the parents will know the appropriate age at which to teach them. Not all children mature at the same rate, and it is irresponsible to expose children to the information too early.
If you support the teaching of Sex Ed, please answer the following question: Sexual education should include these topics (list all that apply and add your own, if needed) -- abortion methods and side effects; abstinence; consent; contraceptive methods; human anatomy/the reproductive system; physical and emotional health outcomes; sex acts and pleasures of sex; sexual orientation and gender identity; stages of pregnancy and fetal development
Possibly at the senior high level as part of Health Education; human anatomy; stages of human development; abortion methods and their side effects; abstinence; consent.
Children have a right to reach maturity without chemical or surgical castration, which would damage their healthy bodies through surgeries and may cause a life-long dependence on cross-sex hormones.
Strongly Agree
Children have the right to be protected from sexual grooming (including drag shows and explicit materials) in schools and libraries.
Strongly Agree
Marriage is a God-ordained, sacred and legal union of one man and one woman essential to the formation and sustaining of a civil and prosperous society.
Strongly Agree
Parents have the fundamental right to raise their child in accordance with their beliefs and values, including the right to make decisions about the child's education and healthcare.
Strongly Agree
Parents should have full and timely access to any and all records, including school and medical records, associated with their minor children.
Strongly Agree
ELECTIONS AND VOTING
People should be able to vote without photo identification.
Strongly Disagree
The election process must be free from any chance of fraud or cheating for voters to trust the system we have.
EQUALITY
Biological males should not be allowed to participate in women's sports or occupy biological women's spaces whether it be bathrooms, locker rooms, sorority houses, women's shelters, or prison.
Strongly Agree
A male students' inability to be competitive as a male should not be a license to force his delusions on others, and deny the girls the opportunity to compete legitimately. Giving in to these delusions will destroy girls' sports, and make them more unsafe and likely to be abused.
ABOUT YOU
Have you ever been convicted of a felony? If so, please explain.
NO
Have you ever been penalized for sexual misconduct in either civil or criminal court? If so, please explain.
NO
I voted in these primaries and general elections:
2014 Republican Primary 2014 General Election 2016 Republican Primary 2016 General Election 2018 Republican Primary 2018 General Election 2020 Republican Primary 2020 General Election 2022 Republican Primary 2022 General Election
I have voted as a conservative in almost every election since 1978, when I registered out of high school.
When you consider your views on a wide range of issues from economic and social matters to foreign policy and religious liberty, which of the following best describes you overall?
Very Conservative
2ND AMENDMENT
Faculty who are licensed to carry and have had ongoing training should be allowed to carry guns at school in order to respond to an active shooter situation.
Strongly Agree
People who have taken the time (and expense) of firearms training should not be prohibited when they walk onto a school campus; they have shown themselves to be responsible, law-abiding citizens without criminal record- they all have to pass background checks. Cases have shown that school shooters who left manifestos, listed schools as their preferred targets specifically because they were designated as "gun-free zones", indicating there would be exactly zero resistance to their planned attack.
OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES
In the event of a pandemic, school districts can mandate whatever health precautions they deem necessary (including masks and vaccines) to protect students and staff.
Disagree
While the schools may want to issue health precautions, I believe the Covid 19 scare showed us how incomplete information and testing could lead to more serious issues, just now coming to light. The "Vaccine Mandate" is now being proven to be something other than advertised, and is causing health issues never seen before in young people.
