In a boost to Governor Ron DeSantis’s bid to transform New College into a bastion of conservative education, House members voted Monday to advance a bill that would hand the University of South Florida’s 32-acre Sarasota-Manatee campus to New College of Florida, along with $53 million in dormitory debt.
In addition, moving $22.5 million in state money for programs at USF Sarasota-Manatee over to New College would be a way to protect taxpayers from facing any “burden” in a proposed transfer of facilities, Representative Demi Busatta argued, as she faced questions from Democrats during a subcommittee meeting.
Busatta, the sponsor of the House bill, said the proposal would not dissolve any programs, like nursing or early education or business offered at USF Sarasota-Manatee, and that students and faculty “would maintain” their USF status, even as the buildings would belong to New College.
“The two institutions amongst themselves would figure out, you know, how they're going to implement all the logistics,” Busatta said.
Orlando Representative Ana Eskamani asked about the $53 million in debt that New College would take on, along with new dorms that opened in 2024 on USF’s land.
“Why should we move an asset from USF over to New College when they're financially not doing well?” Eskamani said.
"I don't think it's smart," Eskamani added. "Because unless we're paying off that debt, which is likely going to happen in a future legislature, I feel like it's fiscally irresponsible to do that."
Busatta responded: “I don't have concerns. And all of our universities, our public universities, are subsidized by the state of Florida.”
Because the dorms were built for and financed through USF, which has a much larger student body, “we are transferring $22.5 million from USF to New College … since they are acquiring these new facilities. So there is no new burden to taxpayers,” Busatta explained.
Democratic Representative Daryl Campbell pointed to a recent Florida DOGE report that showed it costs New College $494,715 to produce a degree, compared to $72,252 at USF.
“To me, that's crazy,” Campbell said. “And that same reporting places per student operating expenses at $83,270, calling New College the least efficient public university in our state. And that's from our state reporting.”
His colleague, Representative Rashon Young, spoke about students’ concerns at USF Sarasota-Manatee, and how student government leaders at all three USF campuses are opposed to the idea.
"They have told us that they're worried about this, about the course of action, about their support services, about whether their degree path stays intact," Young said.
The House subcommittee voted to advance the bill anyway. And shortly afterward, students and staff at USF received a letter from Board of Trustees chair, Will Weatherford, warning of the consequences of shifting away $22 million in operating funds.
“We have been clear that the loss of any funds threatens our priority to protect our people, as they are necessary to pay for a teach-out so current USF Sarasota-Manatee students can finish their degrees on their home campus and for USF Sarasota-Manatee staff salaries on another USF campus,” Weatherford wrote.
“It is also important to note that the Senate has not introduced a bill. This legislation cannot move forward without agreement from both the House and Senate,” he added.
Weatherford did not mention the $53 million in dorm debt that would be transferred off USF’s balance sheet, or the logistics of the proposed handover of buildings and land to New College, except to say USF could “reinvest those resources in strategic areas that would further elevate our university.”
He noted that “conversations” have been going on for 18 months, involving Governor Ron DeSantis’s office, chancellor Ray Rodrigues, the Board of Governors, NCF and USF to “identify additional synergies in our partnership.”
“It is clear from those conversations that New College's growth and finding space for New College's expansion are priorities for the state,” Weatherford wrote.
“In addition, our state leaders remain focused on ensuring our colleges and universities operate efficiently and maximize value for Floridians, leading to questions about whether it is efficient to have multiple separately operated, taxpayer-funded campuses of the State University System located approximately one mile from each other.”
Weatherford also pointed out: "The Senate has not introduced a bill. This legislation cannot move forward without agreement from both the House and Senate."
Until now, Weatherford has said little publicly about the proposed transfer, except to indicate it was in legislators’ hands and that USF did not “control the outcome.”
However, in a post on X on Sunday, Weatherford appeared willing to spar, referencing a Tampa Bay Times headline that mentioned the proposed handover of $22 million from USF to New College as part of the House bill.
“With respect to the folks at the Tampa Bay Times, there is a zero percent chance that this will happen. Zero as in ‘0,’” Weatherford wrote on X.
Alan Levine, the chair of the Florida Board of Governors, which oversees the state university system, also weighed in.
“The transfer of this property is important to the @SUS_Florida. I’ve spoken with USF and NCF, and they agree on the deal for the transfer. There is a clear path forward and we support this,” Levine posted on X.
Supporters of USF Sarasota-Manatee are holding a community forum to oppose the transfer, Wednesday, February 25 from 4:30 pm to 6 pm at the USF Sarasota-Manatee Student Center Ballroom, 8350 N. Tamiami Trail.
“We haven’t seen one report, impact analysis, discussion at Board of Trustees or the Board of Governors of why this is an efficient use of state university assets,” said former USF SM campus president Laurey Stryker.
“The SUS DOGE report found that NCF annual cost per student is $83,000. NCF’s five year enrollment goal is just 1,500; we have seen no plans to expand programs into more workforce-oriented degrees. How can this be efficiency?”
WUSF broadcasts from studios at the University of South Florida, including one on its Sarasota-Manatee campus, which is the subject of this story. Its broadcast license also is held by USF.
No USF or WUSF officials reviewed this story before it was published.
