Flagler County School Board member Derek Barrs is a step closer to resigning the seat and leaving Flagler County to become the administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in Washington, D.C.
The U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee on Wednesday voted 15-13, strictly along party lines, to send the nomination to the full Senate, where Barrs is expected to be confirmed.
President Trump nominated Barrs to the post, an agency of over 1,000 employees that oversees truck safety, in March.
“I do not plan to support Derek Barrs,” Sen. Maria Cantwell, the Washington Democrat and ranking member of the committee, said. “The trucking industry is essential, but it must be operated safely and we’ve seen a significant decline in enforcement actions, and we had a chance to talk about this, but I was not satisfied with his answers.”
None of the other present members of the committee, including Ted Cruz, its Republican chair, commented on Barrs before the vote. The 15-13 split mirrored the two votes for the two other nominees who testified before the committee alongside Barrs on July 16–Paul Roberti for Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, and Paul Morrison for Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Barrs ran for the District 3 School Board seat last year and lost by a few hundred votes to Janie Ruddy. Gov. Ron DeSantis at the end of October appointed him to the District 1 seat after the resignation of Sally Hunt. Barrs’s impending departure will require yet one more appointment to the seat to complete a term that runs until November 2026. DeSantis is likely to appoint an individual who would have a strong chance of retaining the seat at that election.
Meanwhile Barrs, a Flagler Beach resident, will continue to serve on the local board. The 2025-26 school year begins for faculty at the end of next week, an for students on Aug. 11. The board holds a workshop the following day.
