3 Florida universities set to get DeSantis allies as presidents

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The big story: Two weeks after rejecting the University of Florida’s choice for its next president as too “woke,” the State University System Board of Governors reconvenes to consider the appointments of presidents to the University of West Florida, Florida International and Florida A&M.
The grilling that governors gave to Santa Ono is not expected during the hearings for Manny Diaz Jr., Jeanette Nuñez and Marva Johnson.
The difference? The three appointees up for approval today come with the blessing of Gov. Ron DeSantis and his administration, in their effort to overhaul the state’s higher education system in a more conservative image.
Diaz is Florida education commissioner, while Nuñez was lieutenant governor under DeSantis and Johnson formerly led the State Board of Education as a DeSantis appointee.
There is one potential wrinkle. A group of FAMU alumni and students filed a lawsuit alleging Johnson’s selection violated the state Constitution, though organizers have said they are not seeking to halt the vote on her confirmation, the Tallahassee Democrat reports.
In a precursor to the Board of Governors meeting, the Pasco-Hernando State College Board of Trustees named another DeSantis administration official to its president job. Eric Hall served as Department of Juvenile Justice secretary until becoming Pasco-Hernando’s interim president a week ago. The board dropped the “interim” on Tuesday. Read more here.
Hot topicsSchool voices: Efforts to “flip” the Pinellas County school board in 2024 didn’t succeed, but some of the voices in the conservative movement have found new outlets.
School leaders: Eight more Pasco County schools were assigned new principals.
School choice: For the first time, a majority of Florida schoolchildren attend a school of choice rather than their neighborhood public school, Central Florida Public Media reports.
International students: Valencia College in Orlando will stop recruiting international students amid concerns about the stability of the visa program, the Orlando Sentinel reports.
Budgets: Several university capital projects captured the attention of Florida Tax Watch as “turkeys” in this year’s legislative budget, Florida Politics reports.
Book challenges: The St. Johns County school board placed restrictions on the availability of three library books challenged over their content, WJAX reports.
Audit reports: The Broward County school board decided not to dismiss its chief auditor, who had come under fire by one board member, the Sun-Sentinel reports.
Don’t miss a story. Here’s a link to yesterday’s roundup.
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