Numbers with simply normal $\beta$-expansions

In [Bak] the first author proved that for any $\beta\in (1,\beta_{KL})$ every $x\in(0,\frac{1}{\beta-1})$ has a simply normal $\beta$-expansion, where $\beta_{KL}\approx 1.78723$ is the Komornik-Loreti constant. This result is complemented by an observation made in [JSS], where it was shown that whenever $\beta\in (\beta_T, 2]$ there exists an $x\in(0,\frac{1}{\beta-1})$ with a unique $\beta$-expansion, and this expansion is not simply normal. Here $\beta_T\approx 1.80194$ is the unique zero in $(1,2]$ of the polynomial $x^3-x^2-2x+1$. This leaves a gap in our understanding within the interval $[\beta_{KL}, \beta_T]$. In this paper we fill this gap and prove that for any $\beta\in (1,\beta_T],$ every $x\in(0,\frac{1}{\beta-1})$ has a simply normal $\beta$-expansion. For completion, we provide a proof that for any $\beta\in(1,2)$, Lebesgue almost every $x$ has a simply normal $\beta$-expansion. We also give examples of $x$ with multiple $\beta$-expansions, none of which are simply normal. Our proofs rely on ideas from combinatorics on words and dynamical systems.