Breaking his silence: Ron DeSantis offers defense of Santa Ono rejection

Gov. Ron DeSantis is finally weighing in on the Florida Board of Governors decision to reject Santa Ono as the next University of Florida President.

DeSantis spotlighted an opinion piece describing the Board vote as exemplifying a “hostile takeover” of public education. But he rebutted that framing.

“Universities that are established by the state and funded by taxpayers should be accountable to the people. It may seem like a ‘hostile takeover’ to those who feel entitled to use universities to advance a leftist agenda; if anything, the ‘hostile takeover’ occured when higher education veered away from its core mission,” DeSantis said on X.

The opinion piece in The Hill led off with narrative framing that the “MAGA activists” on “the Florida Board of Governors” rejected the former University of Michigan President for “his past support of diversity, equity and inclusion programs; his views on admissions, gender-affirming care and climate change; and his handling of pro-Palestinian protesters and the COVID-19 pandemic.”

While the piece delved into other states’ handling of educational issues, as well as Florida’s own decision to seek an alternative accreditor for colleges and the passage of the “Stop WOKE Act” earlier this decade, DeSantis’ comments here are most notable because they break silence on the divergence between the Board of Governors and the UF Board of Trustees, the latter of which approved Ono unanimously.

DeSantis is usually extremely vocal on all manner of issues as he continues to cultivate national attention on the Right. But a speech on educational issues that he gave a day after Ono’s rejection avoided any commentary on the conflict.

Furthermore, DeSantis didn’t see fit to yank trustees who voted for Ono off the UF board, arguably out of concern for political alliances.

On June 9, he reappointed Mori Hosseini and Fred Ridley to the Board, even though their understanding of education’s “core mission” apparently is a matter of debate.

Hosseini has been one of DeSantis’ most influential supporters since his run for Governor in 2018, with the Governor backing a $92 million highway interchange at the ICI Homes developer’s behest. In turn, DeSantis enjoyed private flights and a golf simulator at Hosseini’s expense.

Ridley, a Partner at Foley & Lardner, LLP,  is also Chair of Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters Tournament.

DeSantis has attended many sporting events since his election as Governor, but said this year the Masters was his favorite.