New College Campus Expansion Plan Stalls

Legislation that would have handed the University of South Florida’s Sarasota-Manatee campus over to New College failed to pass the State Legislature by the time its annual session ended Friday.

While the bill sailed through the House, it was upended in the Senate, where lawmakers stripped out the campus transfer provision and then deleted the entire proposal. The Senate Appropriations Committee on Higher Education went on to approve what was essentially a nullified bill, but it never went to a full vote as the clock ran out on the session. If passed, the original bill would have given New College much-needed dorms and other facilities on the nearby USF Sarasota-Manatee campus. NCF is seeking to grow its enrollment amid a multiyear overhaul driven by Gov. Ron DeSantis and led by NCF president Richard Corcoran, a former Republican lawmaker tasked with leading a conservative rebrand of the institution.

The effort to transfer the USF campus failed amid strong pushback from hundreds of local community members and criticism from Republican congressman Vern Buchanan, who opposed the plan, arguing that the two institutions have distinct missions and therefore should remain separate. Supporters of the plan, including lawmakers and New College trustee Lance Karp, have made the case that NCF needs room to expand—since USF Sarasota-Manatee is operating below capacity, the transfer would allow for a better alignment of state resources.

But just because the legislation stalled doesn’t mean NCF’s expansion plan is dead.

Lawmakers may now resurrect the proposal as the Legislature heads into a special session to hammer out a budget that also failed to pass. Since DeSantis originally included the transfer of USF Sarasota-Manatee to NCF as part of his proposed budget, it may yet squeeze through as part of a new funding deal.

Considerable money is at stake: The House’s proposed budget includes a provision to steer $22 million in recurring funds to New College after its absorption of the satellite campus. At the same time, the plan would require New College to take on $53 million in debt tied to USF Sarasota-Manatee.

DeSantis is proposing the additional funding for New College despite concerns over its spending raised by a former member of the Florida Board of Governors and other critics. The Florida Department of Government Efficiency found last year that New College, a small liberal arts institution that enrolls about 800 students, spent $83,207 per head in fiscal year 2024—the highest by far among the 12 state universities. New College also had the highest administrator-to-student ratio, with 33.3 officials for every 100 students; the lowest was 4.6 per 100 students at the University of Central Florida. (NCF officials have largely dismissed the criticism, arguing they have made necessary structural investments to fix a neglected campus and correct various missteps by a prior administration.)

The Legislature will reconvene in mid-April with a legal deadline to pass a budget by July 1. But both Senate and House leaders are tight-lipped on whether they intend to include a second attempt to transfer the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus to New College.

Senate president Ben Albritton declined to comment and Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez’s office did not respond to emailed questions from Inside Higher Ed about the transfer. Neither Representative Demi Busatta Cabrera, who authored legislation approving the transfer, nor Senator Gayle Harrell, who tanked the bill, responded to requests for comment on Monday.

DeSantis’s office referred Inside Higher Ed to the Florida Board of Governors for comment. However, a Florida Board of Governors spokesperson did not respond to the forwarded request.

Campus officials are similarly mum. A New College of Florida spokesperson deferred comment until the Legislature reconvenes for the April session and releases a formal budget proposal. USF officials pointed Inside Higher Ed to a February statement from Board of Trustees chair Will Weatherford, which did not address recent legislative developments on the proposal.

When lawmakers resume budget talks next month, they will need to rectify a significant divide on the numbers: The Senate’s proposed budget plan stands at $115 billion, while the House advanced a $113.6 billion package, leaving the two legislative bodies separated by a $1.4 billion gap.