Gabrielle Russon
Despite Gov. Ron DeSantis’ looming veto threat, the House has passed a bill to limit DeSantis’ direct involvement in university President job searches and allow more oversight in the hiring process.
“This is about showing the voters what we’re doing,” said Republican Rep. Michelle Salzman, the bill’s sponsor, before the 104-8 vote. “The bill brings transparency. It is good governance.”
HB 1321 would remove secrecy behind the vacant President jobs at Florida’s public universities and state college colleges, making all candidates — not just the finalists — public.
Notably, after a 2022 law restricting information earlier in the process, the University of Florida announced it only had a lone finalist for President — Ben Sasse. Sasse’s controversial tenure featured a scandal surrounding his lavish spending and hiring GOP contacts.
HB 1321 would also ban the Governor from talking to state or local university leaders about an open university President job.
Earlier this year, DeSantis helped Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez land a job as Interim President at Florida International University without a job search.
It’s the latest clash between House Republicans and DeSantis, who said Wednesday he would veto any legislation that would take the Governor’s Office out of college President selection.
“They do not want elected officials to hold universities accountable,” DeSantis said of House Republicans last week in an X video.
In 2022, the Legislature approved a new public records exemption to keep the presidential applicants confidential. Only the finalists could be released.
HB 1321 would repeal that rule.
The bill would also strip the requirement that the Board of Governors must confirm a university’s choice for President. Instead, each local university’s Board would have the power to select and appoint the person it wants to hire.
Salzman insisted her bill isn’t aimed at DeSantis, school leaders or the Board of Governors.
“This isn’t an attack on our great Governor. This is simply bringing the second largest component of the state budget into the sunshine,” the Escambia County Republican said during the debate. “We are not removing the Governor’s power from anything. He appoints the people that are making these choices. You can’t get any better than that.”
Not all Republicans supported Salzman’s bill.
Rep. Mike Caruso argued that candidates applying for these jobs “face repercussions if they put their names into that into the hat” if it becomes public information they’re looking for a new job.
“My question is, why do we need to change our current laws?” the Delray Beach Republican said on the House floor Wednesday. “I don’t know how three years ago we could be so up on the bill, and now try to change its fundamental principles today.”
One comment
SuzyQ
April 16, 2025 at 7:48 pm
Another effort by the term-limited Florida House Speaker to undermine our Governor’s efforts to purge woke and other neo-Marxist ideology from Florida’s public colleges and universities.