Drew Wilson
The University of Florida and its Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) are poised to receive major infusions of funding in the state budget, with more than $100 million allocated across a slate of construction and renovation projects.
Topping the list is $47.5 million for UF’s Dental Science Building, which was funded at $23.75 million in the Senate’s initial budget bill (SB 2500). UF’s Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases will receive $25 million, fully funded as proposed by the Senate. Another $10 million is set aside for utility infrastructure upgrades on UF’s main campus.
Several IFAS projects also saw substantial support. That includes $5.6 million for the Camp Cherry Lake Outdoor Learning Center in Madison County and $3.5 million for expanding the Microbiology and Cell Sciences Teaching Lab. A $2 million appropriation will support the renovation and expansion of the Marianna Research and Education Center.
Notably, the IFAS Animal Sciences Expansion and Renovation project landed $2.275 million — matching the Senate’s offer, despite a higher amount proposed by the House. That pattern held across much of the final funding, with Senate numbers ultimately prevailing in most cases.
One outlier: the Hamilton Center for Classical and Civic Education, which was allocated $8 million despite the Senate offering just $350,000. That project, backed by legislation (HF 1471), has drawn outsized interest amid debates about higher education priorities.
A more modest $5 million will go toward a new School of Music building addition.
Altogether, the package reflects UF’s continued leverage in budget negotiations, especially through PECO — the Public Education Capital Outlay trust fund — which supports construction and infrastructure across Florida’s higher education system.
Overall, total PECO funding for UF is $95.5 million while funding for IFAS, which is affiliated with UF but typically treated as a separate entity, is set to receive $13.375 million. Combined, UF and IFAS PECO funding totals nearly $109 million.
