Lavish catering under ex-UF President: $38,610 sushi bar, holiday party that cost nearly $900 per person

The University of Florida’s then-President, Ben Sasse, dished out over $1.3 million on private catering for lavish dinners, football tailgates and extravagant social functions.

The figure is roughly double the amount his predecessor spent and included a holiday party featuring a $38,610 sushi bar.

At the Dec. 7 holiday party, Sasse hosted about 200 guests who dined on fresh sushi that two dedicated chefs hand rolled alongside traditional dishes of beef, chicken and sweet desserts. The event, detailed in a newly released list of more than 500 itemized catering expenses obtained under Florida’s public records law, cost $176,816, or roughly $900 per person.

The guest list that night included UF’s top brass and officials with the university’s fundraising foundation, who solicit big checks for education programs from wealthy donors. With a student choir caroling in the background, Sasse personally welcomed guests as they arrived at the old President’s mansion on campus, and later toasted them from two open bars serving unlimited alcohol. The bill for the liquor was listed as $7,061.

Sasse’s yuletide soirée was the largest single expenditure — nearly 15% of his total catering spending — until he abruptly resigned in July after 17 months in office. The new details about his catering costs add to disclosures about his office’s multi-million dollar spending on lucrative consulting contracts and high-paid, remote jobs he awarded to Republican former staffers and allies that have generated bipartisan scrutiny and promises of government audits.

Sasse did not immediately respond to questions emailed to him about his catering expenses.

Sasse — paid a base salary of $1 million plus a performance bonus of up to $150,000 each year — spent nearly double the amount on catering compared to his predecessor, Kent Fuchs, who agreed last month to return as Interim President until next Summer. Sasse spent $906,342 on catering during his first year in office, compared to Fuchs spending an average of $476,892 annually over his eight-year term — not including a pandemic-era drop.

It was not immediately clear whether UF covered the costs for all the items on Sasse’s catering tabs using taxpayer dollars or donor contributions. The university enforces rules requiring — even for pizza parties in classrooms — only the use of approved caterers that it says meet requirements for liability, health inspections and business insurance.

It also enforces strict rules against using state funds to buy alcohol, and rules against using other UF funds unless alcohol is purchased from and served by an approved caterer or restaurant. UF warns employees that “every effort must be made” to keep meal and drink costs for meetings with donors, prospective hires or other officials under $75 per person. The December holiday party was 12 times higher.

“Employees of the University of Florida are expected to be good stewards of university funds,” the rules say.

The university declined to answer questions about the guest list for the holiday party or how Sasse’s Office paid for the alcohol served at the party.

The estimate of about 200 attendees at Sasse’s party came from four people who were there and who described the experience on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive details that may reflect poorly on UF. Three of them separately said the Dec. 7 party with multiple food stations was far more opulent than previous ones they attended under Fuchs.

Amid questions over his office’s spending on staff and consulting contracts, Sasse wrote on social media Aug. 16 that “it’s not true” there was any inappropriate spending. In a 1,744-word post, he said he was careful spending state funds and donor money, saying, “fiscal stewardship is a fundamental obligation of public institutions — and also because our alumni, donors, and hardworking taxpayers should be confident that such stewardship and oversight have been and are being exercised.”

Sasse resigned effective July 31, citing his wife’s health issues and a need to spend more time with his family. Under new provisions negotiated in his contract after he announced his resignation, UF agreed to continue to pay Sasse a base salary of just over $1 million through February 2028. He said he intends to remain in Gainesville and teach classes as a professor.

Home football games on Saturdays are huge on campus, and the catering bill for tailgate parties that Sasse hosted reflected that, too, as did food served in the President’s massive, well-appointed suite in the stadium. Football catering accounted for more than one-third of Sasse’s overall spending.

Typically, about 100 major donors, administrators and state officials cycle through the President’s luxury suite at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium during home games — a practice maintained by Sasse and Fuchs.

One such event came with a price tag of $31,312, or roughly $313 per person. At another game, food costs exceeded $30,000. Guests in the stadium’s luxury suites that day were treated to brisket coated in peach-flavored barbecue sauce, bacon-wrapped hot dogs and a caramel macchiato cheesecake.

Sasse racked up more gameday charges than his predecessor by holding additional tailgates at the president’s mansion before kickoff, a new practice. Before the Gators faced off against McNeese State on Sept. 9, 2023, Sasse entertained about 225 donors, student government members, faculty and administrators at a tailgate where the bill was $26,543, or roughly $118 per guest.

Over 40 charges among the itemized expenses — ranging from $495 to $19,600 — included vague, incomplete descriptions like “dinner” or “lunch.” One invoice for $14,892 dated in July 2023 was labeled “Chris.” UF declined to answer questions about the events or their purposes.

It is not unusual for public universities to court donors, state officials and prospective hires with meals and catered events. In the back half of his presidency, Sasse frequently hosted meals to try poaching top faculty from other schools, according to an employee of Cacciatore Catering Inc., a local UF-approved caterer that earned the bulk of Sasse’s business.

The employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential information about one of the company’s top clients, said some meals only fed Sasse, an adviser and a professor who Sasse wanted to hire. Others hosted 12 to 20 people and focused on discussions about ideology and academic ideas, the employee said.

The catering expenses also included $1,179 for cookies at his inauguration, a $105 bottle of bourbon and a $511 bill for a canceled dinner.

Overall, Sasse’s annual spending as UF’s President was triple what Fuchs spent in his final year. In a signal about possible concerns, UF introduced a new clause in Fuchs’ employment contract requiring all spending by the president’s office to undergo semiannual reviews and be reported to UF’s Board of Trustees.

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration has directed the state auditor general to investigate Sasse’s expenditures as part of a previously scheduled audit of the university. That audit was expected to be finished and published by year’s end.

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This story was produced by Fresh Take Florida, a news service of the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications. The reporter can be reached at [email protected]. You can donate to support our students here.