Indian River Veteran, School Board Alum Eyes HD 34 Seat in '100 in 100' Listening Push

Shawn Frost, a 50-year Indian River County resident, Marine Corps veteran and conservative education advocate, is publicly weighing a run for Florida House District 34 — becoming the first Republican to say so aloud if the seat opens up.

The seat belongs to Robert Brackett, a former Vero Beach mayor first elected to the House in 2022. Brackett is rumored to be considering a race for the newly drawn Florida's 9th Congressional District. If he runs, HD 34 — the Indian River County seat — becomes an open contest. Frost wants to be positioned when that door swings.

His opening move is unusual: he is launching what he calls a "100 in 100 challenge," committing to contact at least 100 constituents over 100 hours to test support and surface their priorities before formally deciding.

"I intend to take a week to determine if I can represent the constituents of HD 34 and fight to be the solution to voters' problems in Tallahassee," Frost said. "Politics is full of people running to serve their egos, be important and grow their power. If I run, I will run for the people of HD 34, not myself."

Frost was equally direct about what he is not doing. "I would never run against our incumbent representative, Rep. Brackett, who does a great job," he said. He pledged to carry forward Brackett's priorities if elected, including funding for the Moonshot Moment literacy initiative and opposition to cannabis-infused beverages sold in convenience stores.

His policy résumé is deep. Frost helped found the Florida Coalition of School Board Members, served as its president and drove statewide campaigns to expand the Family Empowerment Scholarship, establish the Parents' Bill of Rights and impose term limits on school board members. He managed Byron Donalds' 2020 congressional campaign — the same Donalds now leading the 2026 Republican gubernatorial primary by more than 30 points, according to public polling.

Frost won a seat on the Indian River County School Board in 2014, defeating a two-term incumbent by nearly 10 points, and chose not to seek re-election to concentrate on statewide education policy work. He holds an MBA and is currently pursuing a doctorate in leadership and policy at Florida State University.

Brackett would remain in the House through his term limit in 2030 if he does not pursue CD 9. Frost acknowledged he will not be alone if the race opens — but he is the first candidate to say publicly he wants it.

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