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.
“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 Nunez 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.
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.
