Around 300 alumni, students and business owners gathered at the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee campus Wednesday night to oppose plans to give the campus to New College of Florida.
They say there's still time to save the campus.
Gov. Ron DeSantis placed the transfer in his budget proposal and said he wants to hand over the campus by July 1.
This week a House subcommittee advanced a bill that would transfer the 32-acre campus and $53 million in dorm debt to New College. The Senate takes it up Monday.
ALSO READ: USF faculty oppose Sarasota-Manatee handover as Limayem pledges transparency
Lisa Carlton, a former lawmaker who serves on the campus board of USF Sarasota-Manatee, said this is not a done deal.
"There is still a lot of work to be done, and legislators are listening," Carlton said. "They listen to their constituents."
Carlton urged people to call their legislators and "let them know how important this campus is to students, the community, business, community, families, future students."
Some of those who attended the community forum were from local hospitals that hire nurses from USF. Others were business owners who praised the pipeline of students they've hired from the campus.
"I feel like this meeting was really great because it helps shed light on the issue and how many people this takeover would actually affect," said Lauren Karg, a student at USF Sarasota-Manatee.
ALSO READ: Ex-New College strategist says transfer of USF dorm debt ‘will kill the college'
USF president Moez Limayem and Board of Trustees Chair Bill Weatherford say the negotiations are happening in Tallahassee, and it's not an outcome they control.
"In the meantime, we are doing everything we can to look at different possible outcomes, and if the transfer is to happen, to still have the resources so that we can take care of our students, faculty and staff," Limayem told "Florida Matters Live & Local" earlier on Wednesday.
Nearly 2,000 students are enrolled at USF Sarasota-Manatee and 150 faculty teach there.
Kevin Wolfe is a USF marine biology student who takes some of his classes in Sarasota-Manatee, and interns at Mote Marine Laboratory.
"They've given me so many opportunities that I wouldn't have had otherwise, if I had been up in the other campuses or at a different college as a whole," he said, adding he'd like to see New College and USF continue to co-exist because one cannot replace the other.
Added his father Ken: "And you hear that it's out of their hands and that may be true but if something's important to you, you need to speak up. You don't stick your head in the sand and it may be up to the Senate, but that's when you need to voice your opinion."
This is a developing story. Stay with WUSF for updates.
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.
