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NOP Survey: Pending

Daniel Zapata

School Board — District 4
Open seat — general-election runoff between the top two finishers in the 4-candidate primary (Romelus 40.62%, Zapata 26.68%; Bryant and Hamlet eliminated)
General Election Runoff
★★★☆☆
113 / 165 points
Integrity & Legal Record
Professional & Business Transparency
Policy & Platform Consistency
Community Engagement & Character
Campaign Transparency
Issue-Based Positions

Challenger (2024 FL House District 89 candidate, lost general election)

Last updated: 2026-08-21

Every candidate is researched identically across six categories using only public records and candidate-submitted information. No candidate is endorsed. Read the full methodology.

Integrity & Legal Record 21 / 25

Criminal History

(⚠️ See PRIORITY IDENTITY-VERIFICATION ALERT above — the findings immediately below almost certainly belong to a different, older, unrelated "Daniel Alejandro Zapata" and NOT to this 25-year-old candidate; retained for transparency, not attributed.) No felony convictions found. Five cases with potential criminal exposure were individually verified for charge and disposition: - 50-2002-CT-021876 (Criminal Traffic, 2002): Driving while license suspended, seatbelt violation, speeding — all NOLLE PROSSE (dropped). - 50-2006-MM-006810 (Misdemeanor, offense 3/20/2006): Possession of marijuana under 20 grams — NOLLE PROSSE (dropped). - 50-2006-MM-022772 (Misdemeanor, offense 9/5/2006): Possession of marijuana under 20 grams — GUILTY plea, adjudication withheld (4/26/2007). This is the one case in his record with an actual guilty plea; adjudication withheld means a formal conviction was not entered under Florida law, but the guilty plea is part of the public record. - 50-2008-MM-003031 (Misdemeanor, offense 2/1/2008): Possession of marijuana under 20 grams + possession of paraphernalia — both charges pled NOT GUILTY, both NOLLE PROSSE (dropped). - 50-2013-CT-002175 (Criminal Traffic, 2013): Driving with suspended license + unregistered vehicle — both NOLLE PROSSE (dropped). In summary: four of five potentially-criminal matters were dropped without conviction; one (a 2006 marijuana possession charge, when the candidate would have been a young adult) resulted in a guilty plea with adjudication withheld. No felony record.

Sources:
  • PBC Clerk of Courts eCaseView — exact name search "Zapata, Daniel," all court/case types, all 5 criminal-type cases opened individually for Charges & Sentences detail — 2026-07-20
  • Nationwide Google/news search: "Daniel Zapata" arrested OR convicted OR lawsuit OR ethics OR indicted — 2026-07-20 — the Houston, TX case was investigated and ruled out as an unrelated individual (see Name-collision check above)
🔴 SUPERSEDED — see PRIORITY IDENTITY-VERIFICATION ALERT above. This "guilty plea" finding is very likely misattributed to a different, older individual and should not be scored against this candidate.

Civil Court History

(⚠️ See PRIORITY IDENTITY-VERIFICATION ALERT above — the findings immediately below almost certainly belong to a different, older, unrelated "Daniel Alejandro Zapata" and NOT to this 25-year-old candidate; retained for transparency, not attributed.) Several consumer-debt and landlord-tenant matters were found and individually verified: - 50-2025-CC-007712 — Truist Bank v. Zapata, Daniel A. (debt collection, filed 5/20/2025). Resolved via a stipulation for payment, dismissed 9/24/2025 — a resolved payment agreement, not a default judgment. - 50-2024-CC-003786 — PRCP-Boca Raton LLC dba The Luxe at Boca v. Zapata, Daniel (residential eviction, filed 3/13/2024). The landlord voluntarily dismissed the case 9 days after filing (3/22/2024) — no judgment for possession was entered. - 50-2015-SC-004016 — Portfolio Recovery Associates LLC v. Zapata, Daniel A. (small claims debt collection, filed 4/29/2015) — disposition not individually opened given research volume; flagged for follow-up if needed. - Two auto-negligence lawsuits (2018, 2026, the latter still open) in which he is the plaintiff — not adverse. - Family matters, not scored: a 2010 dissolution (Zapata, Yesenia v. Zapata, Daniel A.), a 2017 simplified dissolution, a 2020 simplified dissolution and 2023 paternity/child-support matters involving Julie Ann Curiel (apparently a co-parent), suggesting multiple past relationships/marriages — personal matters, not integrity-relevant.

Sources:
  • PBC Clerk of Courts eCaseView — full docket review of cases 50-2025-CC-007712 and 50-2024-CC-003786 — 2026-07-20
🔴 SUPERSEDED — see PRIORITY IDENTITY-VERIFICATION ALERT above. These civil matters are very likely misattributed to a different, older individual and should not be scored against this candidate.

Ethics Violations

No ethics complaints found via news search or the PBC Commission on Ethics complaint archive, including in connection with his 2024 Florida House campaign.

Sources:
  • Google/news search: "Daniel Zapata" Palm Beach campaign finance violation ethics complaint school board 2024 2026 — no relevant results — 2026-07-20
  • Palm Beach County Commission on Ethics — https://palmbeachcountyethics.com/complaints.htm — 2026-07-20

Campaign Finance Violations

No Florida Elections Commission violation records found across his 2024 State House campaign or the current School Board run.

Sources:
  • Transparency USA — https://www.transparencyusa.org/fl/candidate/daniel-zapata — 2026-07-20
  • Florida Elections Commission — https://www.fec.state.fl.us/FECWebFi.nsf/pages/Violations — 2026-07-20 (no name-search capability from landing page)

Residency Confirmed

A PBC Property Appraiser (PAPA) owner-name search confirmed exact matches ("ZAPATA DANIEL" x2, "ZAPATA DANIEL A"), consistent with his description as a lifelong Palm Beach County resident born in West Palm Beach. `[Given the identity-confusion issue discovered 2026-08-21 — see alert above — these PAPA matches were NOT re-verified against his confirmed ~2001 birth year and may also belong to the older, unrelated individual; a 25-year-old first-time homeowner is plausible but not confirmed here.]` Independently, his own campaign material (2026-08-21 research) confirms he was "raised" in District 4 by a family that has lived there three generations (grandfather opened a used car dealership in the district), which is a separate, credible basis for residency regardless of the PAPA property-record question.

Sources:
  • Ballotpedia — https://ballotpedia.org/Daniel_Zapata — 2026-07-20
  • PBC Property Appraiser (PAPA) Advanced Search — https://pbcpao.gov/AdvSearch/AdvanceSearch — owner "Zapata Daniel" — 2026-07-20 — multiple exact matches found, age not cross-verified
  • Campaign website (zapataforschoolboard.com) — "About Daniel" — 2026-08-21 — three-generation family residency in District 4
⚠️ REVIEW FLAG (added 2026-08-21) — PAPA property match not re-verified against his confirmed age; residency is nonetheless independently supported by his family's documented three-generation District 4 history.
  • 🔴 PRIORITY (added 2026-08-21, supersedes the two items below): The original 2026-07-20 research's Criminal History and Civil Court History findings (a 2002 suspended-license case, a 2006 marijuana-possession guilty plea, several 2013–2025 debt/eviction matters) are almost certainly misattributed to a different, older, unrelated "Daniel Alejandro Zapata." Multiple independent 2026 sources (WLRN, Florida Politics, iVoterGuide, his own campaign site) confirm this candidate is approximately 25 years old (born ~2001) and has taught for the past five years at Atlantic Christian Academy — ages that make the 2002 and 2006 records physically impossible to belong to him. Recommend the operator treat this as a priority correction: commission a fresh, age-verified PBC Clerk of Courts search for this candidate specifically, rather than relying on the name-only 2026-07-20 pull.
  • ~~⚠️ REVIEW FLAG: One documented guilty plea exists on this candidate's record — marijuana possession under 20 grams, adjudication withheld, 2006-2007.~~ RETRACTED 2026-08-21 — see PRIORITY note above; this finding almost certainly belongs to a different person.
  • ~~⚠️ REVIEW FLAG: One 2015 small-claims debt collection case (Portfolio Recovery Associates) was not individually opened for disposition detail.~~ RETRACTED 2026-08-21 — see PRIORITY note above; this finding almost certainly belongs to a different person.
  • Investigated and ruled out a serious-looking nationwide search hit (a 2018 Houston, TX kidnapping/assault arrest under the same name) as an unrelated individual — documented for the record per this session's practice on name collisions. (This ruling-out remains valid regardless of the identity issue above, as it was based on a different state/jurisdiction, not an age check.)
  • Survey cross-reference could not be completed this pass — the CIVICS Disclosure Survey PDF answers have not yet been extracted/indexed per-candidate.

Professional & Business Transparency 20 / 25

Business Ownership

Zapata is a teacher and school administrator at Atlantic Christian Academy in West Palm Beach (5 years), teaching Spanish, government, and economics. His family's business history includes his grandfather's used car dealership in District 4 (a prior generation, not the candidate's own business). No personal business entity was identified for the candidate himself, consistent with a young full-time educator. `[Sunbiz primary-source confirmation NOT COMPLETED — search.sunbiz.org unresponsive this session]`.

Sources:
  • Campaign website (zapataforschoolboard.com) — "About Daniel" — 2026-08-21
None beyond the general identity-confusion caveat above.

Financial Conflicts of Interest

No government-contract overlap identified. Zapata is employed by a private religious school (Atlantic Christian Academy), not a public entity, and has never held elected office.

Sources:
  • Nationwide Google/news search: "Daniel Zapata" Atlantic Christian Academy government contract — 2026-08-21 — no matches

Bankruptcy History

`[NOT FOUND]`, with the identity-confusion caveat above limiting confidence in this result more than usual.

Sources:
  • CourtListener (courtlistener.com) — search "Daniel Zapata" Atlantic Christian Academy — 2026-08-21 — 0 results
⚠️ Identity-confusion caveat applies (see above).

Tax Liens

`[NOT FOUND]`, with the same identity-confusion caveat. Per this project's standing methodology, tax liens are inconsistently indexed online regardless.

Sources:
  • CourtListener (courtlistener.com) — same search as above — 2026-08-21 — 0 results
⚠️ Identity-confusion caveat applies (see above).

Board Memberships

`[NOT FOUND — searched: nationwide Google/news search "Daniel Zapata" school board candidate board member nonprofit — 2026-08-21]`. He is described as active in his church's youth ministry (volunteer capacity), not a formal board role.

Sources:
  • Campaign website (zapataforschoolboard.com) — 2026-08-21
  • 🔴 This category inherits the Category 1 PRIORITY identity-confusion issue: the candidate's actual age (~25) is inconsistent with the older court records previously attributed to him. Recommend the operator's age-verification follow-up (see Category 1) cover Category 2 name-search results as well.
  • ⚠️ TOOLING BLOCK: Sunbiz unresponsive this session (1 attempt).
  • Survey cross-reference could not be completed this pass — pending CIVICS Disclosure Survey PDF extraction.

Policy & Platform Consistency 18 / 20

Voting Record

Zapata is a non-incumbent for this office (School Board), having twice run unsuccessfully for FL House HD-89 (lost to David Silvers by 5 points in 2022; lost to Debra Tendrich, 51%, in 2024). `[NO VOTING RECORD — NON-INCUMBENT]`. His current School Board platform centers on school security, academic achievement, and expanding career and technical education. In his 2024 HD-89 race, he "wholeheartedly" supported the 2023 legislation expanding public education-dollar vouchers for private tuition, while also stating a wish to address private schools raising tuition to offset voucher amounts, keeping them inaccessible to lower-income families. He advanced to a November 3, 2026 runoff against Christina Romelus after receiving 26.7% in the 8/18/2026 primary.

Sources:
  • Florida Phoenix — "Both candidates running for an open Palm Beach House seat want education voucher limits" — 2026-08-21
  • WLRN — "2026 Election: Four vie for seat on Palm Beach County School Board" — 2026-08-21
  • Florida Politics — "Debra Tendrich beats Daniel Zapata, keeps open HD 89 seat blue" — 2026-08-21

Position Consistency

His current School Board education-focused platform (academic achievement, career/technical education, school security) is directly consistent with his 2024 HD-89 education-policy positions (voucher support with an access caveat). `[No documented position shifts were identified — searched: nationwide Google/news search — 2026-08-21]`.

Sources:
  • Florida Phoenix — as above — 2026-08-21

Flip-Flops

`[NOT FOUND — searched: nationwide Google/news search "Daniel Zapata" School Board flip-flop reversed position controversy — 2026-08-21]`. No documented policy reversal was identified.

Sources:
  • Nationwide Google/news search — 2026-08-21 — no matches

Endorsements

Received: The Hispanic Vote Palm Beach County; Delray Beach Mayor Tom Carney; Greenacres Mayor Chuck Shaw; Lantana Mayor Karen Lythgoe; Palm Springs Mayor Bev Smith; and former state Rep. Rick Roth. `[Endorsements given — NOT FOUND — 2026-08-21]`.

Sources:
  • Florida Politics — "Christina Romelus, John McGovern clear favorites to win open Palm Beach County School Board seats" — 2026-08-21
None — the endorsement from former Rep. Rick Roth is noted factually; Roth's own existing Category 3 PRIORITY finding (2023 heat-protection vote inconsistency, documented in Roth_Rick.md) concerns Roth's own record, not Zapata's, and is not re-litigated here.
  • This pass's research (a 2022 news reference to him as a "22-year-old political newcomer") independently corroborates the Category 1/2 age-correction finding — further supporting that the older court records previously attributed to him belong to a different individual.
  • Survey cross-reference could not be completed this pass — no survey response is on file for this candidate.

Community Engagement & Character 12 / 25

Community Involvement

⚠️ CROSS-REFERENCE: as documented in Category 2, Zapata is described as active in his church's youth ministry in a volunteer capacity. Beyond this, `[no additional community organization or civic body found — searched: nationwide Google/news search "Daniel Zapata" Atlantic Christian Academy volunteer community — 2026-08-24, with the identity-confusion caveat above limiting confidence in any broader name-search result]`.

Sources:
  • Cross-referenced from Category 2 (zapataforschoolboard.com) — 2026-08-24

Veteran / First Responder Service

`[NOT FOUND]`. No veteran or first-responder service identified.

Sources:
  • Nationwide Google/news search — 2026-08-24 — no matches

Faith-Based Involvement (scored on character consistency)

⚠️ CROSS-REFERENCE: as noted under Community Involvement, Zapata's church youth-ministry volunteer work is a documented, personal faith-community involvement. No inconsistency between this and his public conduct was identified.

Sources:
  • Cross-referenced from Category 2 — 2026-08-24

Debates / Town Halls

`[NOT FOUND]`. No specific debate or town hall record located this session for the November 3, 2026 runoff against Christina Romelus.

Sources:
  • Nationwide Google/news search — 2026-08-24 — no matches

Social Media Presence & Consistency

A dedicated campaign website (zapataforschoolboard.com) exists; no dedicated, independently-verified social media account (Facebook/Instagram/X) was located this session, and given the identity-confusion caveat, any generic name-only social media search result would carry the same risk.

Sources:
  • zapataforschoolboard.com — 2026-08-24
  • This category inherits the Category 1/2 PRIORITY identity-confusion caveat; findings here rely on his own campaign site and the already-disambiguated Category 2 record rather than generic name searches.
  • Survey cross-reference could not be completed this pass — no survey response is on file for this candidate.

Campaign Transparency 16 / 25

Top Donors / Donor Composition

``` DONOR COMPOSITION (as of 7/24/26): Total raised: $34,725 Total spent: $17,450 Self-loan from candidate: $15,000 (~43% of total) Notable donors: Palm Beach County Police Benevolent Association — $1,000; ACEs Action Florida — $1,000 ``` A substantial share of his funding is self-loaned; PAC support is modest and disclosed.

Sources:
  • Ballotpedia — Daniel Zapata — 2026-08-26

PAC / LLC / Funneling Structures

`[PAC NOTED — Palm Beach County Police Benevolent Association — $1,000 — Fully disclosed — Ballotpedia]`. `[PAC NOTED — ACEs Action Florida — $1,000 — Fully disclosed]`. No LLC, dark-money, or foreign-adjacent funding identified.

Sources:
  • Ballotpedia — as above — 2026-08-26

Advertising Spend

`[Specific ad-spend line items NOT independently itemized — searched: Palm Beach County campaign finance records — 2026-08-26]`. His ~$17,450 spent to date is modest and proportionate to a School Board race.

Sources:
  • Ballotpedia — as above — 2026-08-26

Grassroots Engagement

`[No documented door-knocking, phone-banking, or in-person voter-contact ground game located — searched: nationwide Google/news search "Daniel Zapata" School Board campaign volunteer 2026 — 2026-08-26, with the identity-confusion caveat above limiting confidence in any broader name-search result]`.

Sources:
  • Nationwide Google/news search — 2026-08-26 — no matches

Donations to Political Figures

`[NOT FOUND — searched: Palm Beach County campaign finance records — 2026-08-26]`.

Sources:
  • Nationwide Google/news search — 2026-08-26 — no matches
  • This category inherits the Category 1/2/4 PRIORITY identity-confusion caveat; findings here rely on his own disambiguated campaign-finance filings rather than generic name searches.
  • Survey cross-reference could not be completed this pass — no survey response is on file for this candidate.

Issue-Based Positions 26 / 40

2A Rights Score

`[NO STATED POSITION FOUND — outside School Board jurisdiction — scored 3 per protocol — sources searched: campaign website, nationwide news search — 2026-08-26]`.

Sources:
  • Nationwide Google/news search — 2026-08-26 — no matches

Pro-Life / Pro-Family Score

`[NO STATED POSITION FOUND — outside School Board jurisdiction — scored 3 per protocol — sources searched: campaign website, nationwide news search — 2026-08-26]`.

Sources:
  • Nationwide Google/news search — 2026-08-26 — no matches

Fiscal Conservatism Score

Platform commits to "protecting taxpayers by enhancing transparency and fiscal responsibility."

Sources:
  • zapataforschoolboard.com — 2026-08-26

Parental Rights Score

Explicitly commits to "engaging parents in educational decisions" as a stated campaign priority.

Sources:
  • wjno.iheart.com — "Four Candidates Run For PBC School Board Seat Being Vacated By Whitfield" — 2026-08-26

Election Integrity Position

`[NO STATED POSITION FOUND — outside School Board jurisdiction — scored 3 per protocol — sources searched: campaign website, nationwide news search — 2026-08-26]`.

Sources:
  • Nationwide Google/news search — 2026-08-26 — no matches

Housing / Insurance Position

`[NO STATED POSITION FOUND — outside School Board jurisdiction — scored 3 per protocol — sources searched: campaign website, nationwide news search — 2026-08-26]`.

Sources:
  • Nationwide Google/news search — 2026-08-26 — no matches

Education / School Choice Position

Priorities include "expanding career and technical education, hands-on experience and skills for high-paying careers" and strengthening early literacy — an expansion-within-public-system approach; no explicit ESA/voucher/private-school-choice position was located.

Sources:
  • wjno.iheart.com — as above — 2026-08-26

Environment / Everglades Position

`[NO STATED POSITION FOUND — outside School Board jurisdiction — scored 3 per protocol — sources searched: campaign website, nationwide news search — 2026-08-26]`.

Sources:
  • Nationwide Google/news search — 2026-08-26 — no matches
  • Five of eight metrics fall outside School Board jurisdiction and were scored neutral per protocol; scored independently of the existing Cat1 PRIORITY age/identity-verification finding, which remains a separate, unresolved concern.
  • Survey cross-reference could not be completed this pass — no survey response is on file for this candidate.

Other candidates in this race — School Board — District 4

Christina L. Romelus (NOP)View the full School Board — District 4 race page →

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