March FL legislative update
What is on the radar for New College in the 2025 Florida legislative session?
Florida’s governor’s budget includes a couple of items specific to New College:
$3MM for the freedom institute - “The Governor's Budget Recommendation for Fiscal Year 2025-26 includes $3,000,000 in nonrecurring funding to the New College of Florida for the Freedom Institute which will promote freedom of inquiry and civil discourse to college students. Funds will be used for faculty, staff, and expenses that will allow the institute to offer courses, events, and professional development programs to students that promote academic freedom and civic engagement.”
$15MM in additional funding, $10MM nonrecurring and $5MM recurring - “The Governor's Budget Recommendation for Fiscal Year 2025-26 provides an increase of $15,000,000 in total funding, of which $10,000,000 is nonrecurring, to the New College of Florida to be used for operational enhancements.”
The Florida governor’s budget includes a draft bill that would have New College take over the “the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, including but not limited to, the art museum, the Ca’d’Zan, and the Ringling Museum of the Circus”. This proposed move has been covered in the press, and has spurred the creation of the group “Citizens to Protect the Ringling”.
Though not mentioned in the Florida governor’s budget, we’ve heard rumblings about giving the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus to New College.
For context, last year’s budget had $25MM for New College, which was $15MM in recurring and $10MM in nonrecurring:
“From the funds in Specific Appropriation 147, $10,000,000 in recurring funds from the General Revenue Fund is provided to the New College of Florida for operational enhancements as determined by the President and Board of Trustees. Of the funds provided, a minimum of $5,000,000 shall be used to provide scholarships to students
From the funds in Specific Appropriation 147, $15,000,000 in nonrecurring funds from the General Revenue Fund is provided to the New College of Florida to support specific operational enhancements as follows: $10,000,000 for temporary student housing for Fiscal Year 2024-2025; $2,000,000 for scholarships to support student recruitment; $1,000,000 for improvements in campus security; and $2,000,000 to support technology upgrades and improvements, academic coaches, and library resources.
As of March 12, 2025 there were no legislative bills filing mentioning New College, Ringling, or the Freedom Institute, so we’ll wait and see what actually goes into legislative language between now and the end of the session (May 2nd at the latest).
