Florida Congressman Byron Donalds Accused of Cornering Mother of Two in Grocery Store, Threatening to 'Crush' Her

A leading Republican contender for Florida governor has been hit with explosive allegations just weeks before the state's primary election. Congressman Byron Donalds has been accused in a newly filed civil assault lawsuit of cornering school board member Kelly Mason inside a Naples grocery store, where she claims he angrily demanded she drop a lawsuit involving his wife before allegedly threatening to 'crush' or 'finish' her.

Lawsuit Describes Heated Grocery Store Confrontation

According to the lawsuit, the incident took place in August 2022 at Seed to Table, a well known Naples grocery store that frequently hosts conservative political events.

Mason said she had attended a watch party for a local school board election with her husband and their two children, who were 13 and 12 years old at the time. After leaving the upstairs dining area, the family headed downstairs to buy lunch meat.

She alleges one of Donalds' aides approached her and asked her to speak with the congressman. Mason told her children to wait before walking over to where Donalds, his aides and her husband were standing.

Video recorded by Mason's daughter reportedly captured part of the confrontation.

In the footage, Donalds is heard shouting: 'End it Kelly. Stop the lawsuits.'

Mason replied: 'Tell the truth.'

Donalds then allegedly responded: 'I'm going to go, but I'm tired of this. Don't do it in court, do it right now.'

Mason claims the exchange quickly became intimidating.

'Byron becomes very belligerent, raising his voice, yelling at me. It was about dropping this lawsuit,' she said.

She further alleged: 'He was threatening me, and then saying he's going to crush me and come after me, and that I should drop the lawsuit with his wife.'

School Dispute Sits At The Centre Of The Case

The confrontation allegedly stemmed from a long running legal dispute involving Mason Classical Academy, the charter school Mason founded in 2012.

After the school opened two years later, Byron Donalds joined its governing board while his wife, Erika Donalds, became part of its advisory board.

Mason later filed legal action against Erika Donalds, claiming there had been an attempt to take control of the academy.

According to Mason, the disagreement centred on plans to expand the school into a larger network.

'They saw dollar signs, so they want to start a bunch of schools, and I said, "No, we're not ready to start a bunch of schools,"' Mason claimed.

She added: 'You want to start a school, go do that, but you're not taking Mason's success.'

The earlier lawsuit involving Erika Donalds was eventually settled in December 2024.

Donalds Rejects Allegations As Political Attack

Byron Donalds' campaign has firmly denied the claims contained in the lawsuit.

Campaign spokesman Gates McGavick described the case as 'a baseless, politically motivated attack and shameful publicity stunt designed to damage Byron Donalds in the 2026 election.'

Donalds currently remains the leading Republican candidate in Florida's race for governor and has received the endorsement of President Donald Trump.

Recent polling has placed him comfortably ahead of his Republican rivals, making the timing of the lawsuit particularly significant with the primary election approaching.

The congressman has not publicly addressed the specific allegations beyond his campaign's statement rejecting the lawsuit.