Danny McAuliffe
The three independent campuses affiliated with the University of South Florida network could soon be consolidated under one accreditation.
The House passed a bill Monday afternoon that, if signed into law, would require two smaller auxiliary campuses, USF St. Petersburg and USF Manatee/Sarasota, to become part of the main USF Tampa campus by July 1, 2020.
The idea was introduced into the Legislature in January by Estero Republican and Majority Leader Rep. Ray Rodrigues. The original bill, HB 423, was rewritten into an amendment and lumped into SB 4 before passing the House.
The consolidation plan comes ahead of the state’s decision to begin awarding preeminence dollars to USF. The money is doled out when state universities excel at performance-based metrics.
Some have worried that the new money will not be equally distributed to the two campuses outside of Tampa, should the consolidation plan become law.
In January, Pinellas Republicans Rep. Chris Sprowls and Sen. Jeff Brandes asked in a public letter whether the preeminence benefits would help the two consolidated campuses.
Rodrigues assured lawmakers on the floor that the preeminence money would be distributed fairly. But St. Petersburg Democratic Rep. Ben Diamond still has concerns.
Ahead of the vote, Diamond said the Legislature is walking back on a 2006 decision to separate the three locations following concerns that the two satellite campuses weren’t being funded properly.
“This is an issue that has a long and complicated history which we are reversing course on in the matter of a few weeks,” Diamond said.
He said the plan is well-intentioned, but he’s worried that the bill was not adequately vetted by the public and those overseeing campus operations.
“We did not get to discuss this idea with students and faculty in legislative delegation meetings,” Diamond said. He said that even the USF St. Petersburg president was surprised when Rodrigues unveiled HB 423.
Causing further speculation is that only one of the 13 university board members lives in Pinellas, Diamond said.
The amendment was adopted, and the House passed SB 4 with 84 yeas and 28 nays.
