- December 4, 2025
Derek Barrs could be stepping down from the Flagler County School Board in less than a month.
Barrs is expected to be confirmed in September by the full U.S. Senate as the head of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the agency under the U.S. Department of Transportation that regulates and provides safety oversight of commercial motor vehicles.
He was nominated for the post by President Donald Trump on March 25.
The Senate is scheduled to be back in session in early September. Barrs expects the confirmation vote to be in mid-month. Following that he will begin his new job.
“It looks like the middle of September,” he said of Senate confirmation. “I’m trying to nail down the actual date. Hopefully it will come fairly quick. I am excited. I’m ready as can be, but I want to give the School Board at least three or four weeks. I want to wrap up (school) district business as well as my consulting job.”
When Barrs steps down, his School Board replacement will be in the hands of Gov. Rick DeSantis, who will name a new board member to finish out the term that ends in November, 2026. Barrs himself was appointed to the seat by DeSantis on Oct. 30, 2024, after Sally Hunt resigned. DeSantis’ appointment of Barrs came just over a month after Hunt submitted her resignation on Sept. 20.
Barrs is looking forward to one of his last duties on the board — voting to approve board policy revisions. That vote is scheduled for the Aug. 26 board meeting, which could be his last.
“I am excited about that,” he said. “Board policies are important, and some have not been updated in many years.”
Barrs began a career in law enforcement in 1991 as a Madison County Sheriff’s deputy. He joined the Florida Highway Patrol in 2001 and became chief of commercial vehicle enforcement in 2017.
Currently, he is an associate vice president for the HNTB Corporation, a transportation consulting firm. He works closely with state departments of transportation on safety issues, particularly with commercial vehicles.
Barrs was approved for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration position by the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee on July 30 by a 15-13 straight party-line vote. During a hearing before the committee on July 16, Barrs said roadway safety would be his highest priority.
In introducing Barrs at the hearing, Sen. Rick Scott described Barrs’ 2019 collaboration with the Florida Trucking Association to form the Troopers and Truck Drivers initiative in which FHP troopers would spend a day with experienced truck drivers and commercial vehicle drivers would spend a day on patrol with troopers.
