Richard Corcoran

New College of Florida plans to divert $2.5 million from its auxiliary housing fund to help build a new baseball field, despite the campus facing an ongoing student housing shortage.

Richard Corcoran is among the highest-paid university presidents in Florida despite leading one of the smallest schools. Meanwhile, the Florida House approved a bill that would give the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus to New College.

The bonus comes despite scrutiny about the college's spending, which nearly doubled from about $53 million in 2021 to about $93 million in 2025.

In addition to selecting the former UF and Ohio State coach, the governor reappointed Mark Bauerlein and Debra Jenks to the board of the Sarasota school. Appointments require state Senate confirmation.

The school failed to acquire part of the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus last year after public pushback. But a proposed state budget for 2026 shows that's back up for discussion.

A backdoor plan to hand the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus to New College was revealed in public records last year and eventually dissolved. Observers have anticipated the issue could come up again.

Gov. Ron DeSantis celebrated Florida’s symbolic designation as the top state for religious freedom in the nation, announced during an event at New College by the conservative legal group First Liberty Institute.

The scholarship was established for a person of color by the Lentini family, who want the endowment returned. A New College attorney says that's not how gifts work.

A proposal to transfer control of the Ringling from Florida State University to New College of Florida was not included in this year’s legislative budget.

Since Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed a new slate of trustees in early 2023, the small liberal arts college has undergone a dramatic transformation — eliminating its Gender Studies program, reshaping student life, and launching a costly new athletics department.

Fred Piccolo, Jr. also faces charges in Sarasota County for walking naked in department stores at University Town Center Mall.

Said New College trustee Ron Christaldi, a prominent Tampa lawyer and GOP political donor: "New College’s vision is to continue to grow and expand … and it needs more space to do that.”