Paul Renner earns spot on State University System Board of Governors

TALLAHASSEE, FLA. 3/8/24-House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, speaks during a news conference with Gov. Ron DeSantis on the close of the 2024 Legislative Session Friday at the Capitol in Tallahassee. COLIN HACKLEY PHOTO

A former Florida House Speaker will help to shape education policy for the state’s institutions of higher learning.

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the selection of Paul Renner to the Board of Governors on Wednesday, where he is poised to help oversee the operation and management of state universities.

Renner’s appointment is effective April 15, and is contingent on Senate confirmation.

A Navy veteran and former state prosecutor, Renner is currently Of Counsel for Nelson Mullins.

In that role, he deals with a wide range of commercial litigation matters, and also offers advice to clients on election law.

Renner did his undergraduate work at Davidson College in Charlotte, North Carolina. From there, he got his law degree at the University of Florida’s Levin College of Law.

DeSantis and Renner had a strong relationship throughout their shared time in politics, with Renner representing the Palm Coast area that was also included in the Congressional district DeSantis served before running for Governor in 2018.

During an interview while he was in the Florida House, Renner said they had an “excellent” relationship, with the Governor’s legislative background helping to bolster that.

“Coming from [Congress], he understands that we’re all in this together,” he told Florida Politics.

Before being elected to the Palm Coast centered district, Renner lost a Special Election for a seat on Jacksonville’s Westside by just two votes. Investigation of that election revealed anomalies that could have changed the outcome, but the Duval County Canvassing Board rejected the evidence.

Litigation was an option, but Renner opted not to pursue that avenue.

“I decided that the right thing to do is to not litigate,” he told The Observer. “There was a point in which — for whatever reason — I wasn’t supposed to win that race … It would have been more about me and not about what I believe in.”

There are 17 members on the Board of Governors, with 14 of them appointed by the Florida Governor and confirmed for seven years each. The Chair of the Advisory Council of Faculty Senates, the Commissioner of Education, and the Chair of the Florida Student Association fill the other seats.