Secrecy around Florida university president searches would be lifted by advancing bill
With state universities and colleges continuing to see turnover of presidents, a House panel Wednesday unanimously approved a bill that would repeal a law shielding information about presidential candidates from public disclosure.
The bill (HB 1321), unanimously approved by the House Education Administration Subcommittee, also would make a series of other changes about leadership of the higher-education system, including creating term limits for members of the university system's Board of Governors and university and college boards of trustees.
'This bill is all about accountability and transparency,' Rep. Marie Woodson, D-Hollywood, said. 'I think it was overdue.'
The proposal would repeal a controversial 2022 law that provided exemptions to public-records and public-meetings laws for presidential searches. Under the law, identifying information about most presidential applicants is not disclosed, though information about finalists for the positions is made public.
Supporters of the 2022 law argued that it was needed to help attract top candidates who might be hesitant to apply for Florida president jobs if their current employers could find out. But Rep. Michelle Salzman, a Pensacola Republican sponsoring the House bill, rejected such arguments Wednesday.
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'When we have presidential searches and when we're doing these things, we don't need to be hiding people behind the shade because we're worried about if they win or lose,' Salzman said.
The bill comes after numerous presidential hirings in recent years and current openings.
In February, former state House Majority Leader Adam Hasner, R-Boca Raton, was chosen to serve as president of Florida Atlantic University, and former Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez was chosen to serve as interim president of Florida International University. Also, University of South Florida President Rhea Law announced last month she will step down.
In addition, Florida Polytechnic University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Florida State University, the University of North Florida and New College of Florida have presidents who were appointed since 2021. Meanwhile, in addition to Florida International University, the University of Florida and Florida A&M University are operating with interim presidents.
READ MORE: Political heavyweight and DeSantis ally is named president of New College of Florida
In the state college system, Broward College, Northwest Florida State College, South Florida State College and State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota have hired new presidents during the past two years. Also, North Florida College President John Grosskopf announced this month he will step down from his post.
Samique March-Dallas, an associate professor of finance at Florida A&M, told the House panel Wednesday that transparency is needed in presidential searches.
'Transparency in presidential searches isn't merely procedural,' she said. 'It's essential for legitimacy. When decisions happen behind closed doors, we lose the opportunity to evaluate candidates against our institutions' needs and values.'
Other parts of the bill include:
▪ Eliminating a requirement that presidents selected by university boards of trustees go to the system's Board of Governors for confirmation.
▪ Placing term limits on members of the Board of Governors and university and college boards of trustees. As an example, members of the Board of Governors would be limited to single seven-year terms and would be required to be Florida residents.
▪ Requiring that Board of Governors members file detailed financial disclosures.
The bill would need to clear the House Education & Employment Committee before it could go to the full House. Senate Education Postsecondary Chairwoman Alexis Calatayud, R-Miami, has filed a Senate version (SB 1726), which has not been heard in committees.
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US governors are divided along party lines about military troops deployed to protests
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'And we will make an example of you, you can guarantee it.' ___ Associated Press reporters Nadia Lathan and Jim Vertuno in Austin, Texas; Sophie Austin in Sacramento, California; Isabella Volmert in Lansing, Michigan; Andrew DeMillo in Little Rock, Arkansas; Susan Haigh in Hartford, Connecticut; Anthony Izaguirre in Albany, New York; Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Kate Payne in Tallahassee, Florida; and Sophia Tareen in Chicago; contributed.
New York Post
an hour ago
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Republicans clobber Democrats in Congressional Baseball Game for fifth straight year
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Democrats look for reinvention and a new playbook against Trump in key committee race
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Democrats are interested in how the candidates would communicate with the public, how they would help support lawmakers in battleground districts — and of course, how they would challenge President Donald Trump and his administration. Crockett, 44, has pitched herself as the candidate best able to compete with Trump's pugnacious and attention-grabbing style. Democrats, Crockett has argued, often fail to connect with voters and explain why the president's actions may be harmful. She believes she can. 'It's a matter of bringing that in, having a hearing and making sure that we are translating it and amplifying it,' Crockett told MSNBC in an interview. 'Communications has to be a full-on strategy.' Garcia, 47, has focused on government reform and effectiveness, a key issue for Democrats after the Trump administration's blitz across federal agencies and mass firings of federal workers by billionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency. Mfume, 76, has attracted support from members impressed by his longtime stewardship of the nation's oldest civil rights group. He returned to Congress after decades leading the NAACP following the death of a previous Democratic Oversight chair, the late Congressman Elijah Cummings, a fellow Baltimore Democrat. Lynch, 70, has styled himself as the acting chair and the lawmaker best positioned to take on the committee's chairman, Republican James Comer of Kentucky. 'There are some members who speak to a very narrow audience, and that's great,' Lynch said. 'We want them to be energized and animated. But that same person is not going to go to the Rust Belt with people that are farmers, moderates, conservatives,' Lynch told The Associated Press. 'You need different voices to appeal to different constituencies.' 'I think I have a better chance of bringing back the blue-collar working people, and I have less of a chance of appealing to very younger people who are intensely invested in social media,' Lynch said. The vote for Oversight ranking member is scheduled for June 24 and will be conducted by secret ballot. All four candidates are speaking before multiple caucuses this week, including the New Democrats and the progressive caucus, the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. While many Democrats are undecided, others have made up their mind. Some who are privately stumping for their candidate believe it will be a tight race. That makes the public forums and private pitches even more crucial in the run-up to the vote. House progressives are divided over their preferred choice. Three members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus — Crockett, Garcia and Mfume — are vying for the ranking member seat, which makes it unlikely the caucus will back a single candidate. 'We're looking for folks that could expose this kind of corruption and hold Trump and his billionaire donors accountable,' said Rep. Greg Casar of Texas, the Progressive Caucus chair. Rep. Brad Schneider, chair of the centrist New Democrat Coalition, said he's weighing two factors: which candidate could best help Democrats win the 2026 midterm elections and whether they can successfully lead investigations into the Trump administration and 'try to repair some of the damage that's been done.' 'The committee can be a flash point, or it can be a very effective place for us to make our point, and we want to know who's going to do best in that role to make sure the committee works to help us secure 218 (members) next November,' Schneider said. Some Democratic caucuses have traditionally prized seniority as a clear and reliable way for lawmakers of color to rise through the ranks. There has never been a Hispanic Oversight chairman and only one Black chairman, Elijah Cummings. 'The CBC has always stood for seniority,' said Rep. Hank Johnson of Georgia. But Johnson noted that the Black Caucus has at times 'deviated' from that norm. He said many in the caucus are open to a conversation about age. 'So, Steve Lynch, I think, is the next senior member. And but as I said, other factors have to be considered and I'm sure that, along with myself, other CBC members are going through that process,' Johnson said. 'Since I've been here, seniority has had weight,' said Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, who said he was undecided on which candidate to back. 'But seniority is not the only thing. And there are times and circumstances where the person with the most seniority has not won. Whether that's one of these times or not is what we're going to see.'
