Cervera sues consultant over claims he used taxpayer funds for ad
Cervera sued Michael Worley over texts and a website claiming he used tax dollars for a Broward schools ad, as a state probe already shadows the race.
Adam Cervera has sued Plantation political consultant Michael Worley in the 17th Judicial Circuit Court, accusing him and the committee he chairs, Making Democracy Work, of spreading false claims that Cervera used taxpayer money for a partisan ad tied to Broward schools.
The complaint says Worley caused a mass text message to be sent to thousands of Broward residents this month claiming Cervera used tax dollars to fund an advertisement in a partisan Democratic publication. It also says Making Democracy Work operates AdamCervera.org, a website that accuses the Republican school board member of using tax dollars to support the Democratic Party. Cervera is seeking unspecified compensatory damages, along with court costs, attorneys fees and injunctions to remove the statements from the internet and stop them from being republished. He says he has always paid for his own ads and never used taxpayer dollars for the piece at issue.
The ad at the center of the dispute featured Broward Schools’ official logo alongside multiple School Board members, including Cervera, and promoted the Broward Democratic Party’s Obama Roosevelt Legacy Dinner, which was held in March 2026. The same ad also triggered a separate state review after School Board Chair Sarah Leonardi acknowledged that a district purchasing card was used to buy her $150 ticket to the gala without her authorization. Leonardi said she reimbursed the district with a $150 money order, returned the card and said the secretary involved has since resigned. Florida Department of Education Inspector General Mike Blackburn’s office opened a formal investigation, and the board later discussed tightening controls on staff-issued credit cards.
The three-person District 6 contest covers Cooper City, Davie, Plantation, Sunrise and Weston. Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Cervera effective May 1, 2025, after Brenda Fam resigned, and his current term runs through 2027. His challengers are Jessie Bastos, a longtime Davie resident and Broward Soil and Water Conservation District member, and Roberto Fernandez III, a U.S. Army veteran and history teacher.
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