Yesterday Governor Rick Scott vetoed SB 374, a conforming bill that would have overhauled higher education funding for Florida residents and state institutions. That bill included the changes made at the last minute without public debate which “moved the goalposts” and denied USF an opportunity at preeminent status to which it was already on track.
Preeminent status comes with a pool of $48 million in funding for qualifying institutions. Right now there are only two universities that qualify, Florida and Florida State. Because of this veto, USF will become the third preeminent school next fiscal year, and would share in this funding equally.