USF Sarasota-Manatee

Lakeland residents face higher electric bills, while a Senate bill transferring USF Sarasota-Manatee land to New College vanishes — leaving both energy costs and campus plans in uncertainty.

Gov. Ron DeSantis wants the 32-acre Sarasota-Manatee campus of USF to be given to New College of Florida, where he installed a new board of trustees in 2023.

They gathered on the campus to say they don't want to see the school taken over and that there's still time to save it.

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.

President Moez Limayem echoed prior comments made by USF leadership on the contentious issue of transferring the Sarasota campus to nearby New College.

USF Board of Trustees Chair Will Weatherford wrote his opposition to moving any funds to New College but conceded "finding space for New College's expansion are priorities for the state.”

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.

A couple of college challenges are in the spotlight. We get an update on the New College-USF controversy and learn about the growing concern of student food insecurity.

Student government representing all three USF campuses passed a resolution saying it should be involved in the decision-making after the idea appeared in Gov. Ron DeSantis's proposed budget.

Nathan Allen, who resigned as a vice president at New College in 2024, says it’s “nuts” to assume $53 million in debt against no added revenue, yet “that's what's happening.”

The proposed deal is in the hands of state lawmakers, who began their annual session this week.

Trustees voted to raise out-of-state tuition by 15% beginning in fall 2026. The school plans to sign the "compact," which would provide priority federal funding in exchange for adopting a range of policies, including a five-year tuition freeze.