Florida’s universities and colleges will go under independent audits, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday, with an eye toward fiscal responsibility and to “prune” the “ideological study stuff” while maintaining “core, important subjects.”
DeSantis announced the audits as part of a larger DOGE effort in Florida, mimicking the “Department of Government Efficiency” headed by Elon Musk in President Donald Trump’s administration.
He said Florida universities and colleges will “be subjected to an independent review and audit to study efficiency and effectiveness of their operations and financing.”
“This is the DOGE-ing of our state university system,” DeSantis said during a news conference in Tampa. “And I think it’s going to be good for taxpayers and it’s ultimately going to be good for students, as well.”
DeSantis said his administration will conduct a “deep dive” into “all facets of university operations and spending,” and make recommendations to the Board of Governors and Board of Education about how it could “eliminate any unnecessary spending.”
“Now, this will include examining courses programming and staff at the institution to ensure that Florida students are receiving an education that will best equip them to gain meaningful employment after graduation,” DeSantis said. “There are certain subjects that, look, if you want to do some of this, go to Cal Berkeley, go to some of these other places. We don’t really want to be doing some of this stuff in Florida.”
The effort extends to state agencies, too. DeSantis instructed each agency to form its own team using “the most innovative technology feasible,” including artificial intelligence, to reduce spending, programs, and contracts.
The governor’s comments Monday reflect the same agenda laid out in SB 266, a 2023 law that eliminated courses from the required general education curriculum and prohibited spending state or federal dollars on initiatives related to diversity, equity, or inclusion.
DeSantis said the focus should be on students getting jobs by teaching “the core, important subjects,” and that “classical liberal arts subjects that are really important, can help you become a better thinker and ultimately see the world in better ways.”
“It’s not like it’s rigid, but some of the ideological study stuff, we just want to prune that and get that out, and we want to make sure that these universities are really serving the classical mission of what a university should be, and that’s not to impose ideology,” DeSantis said.
Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. said he is “laser-focused” on student outcomes.
“The programs at our higher ed institutions should provide our students with a strong foundation rooted in the principles of our country, what it was founded upon, which leads students to a long-lasting career. While other states have pushed students into degrees, as the governor often likes to mention, in zombie studies. Florida is focused on the workforce and the needs of our economies,” Diaz said.
Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried contested DeSantis’ DOGE efforts Monday, saying he has “consistently passed the largest state budgets in Florida’s history” and that he used taxpayer money to campaign against amendments 3 and 4 on legal marijuana and abortion rights in the most recent election.
“Ron DeSantis needs to shut his damn mouth,” Fried said in a news release. “Republicans have been in total control of Florida’s government for nearly 30 years, and he wants to talk about government waste?”
UnidosUS, a Latino advocacy organization, criticized DeSantis’ record, calling it “political theater” and advocated for policies that benefit all.
“After 30 years of uninterrupted Republican leadership in Florida, Gov. DeSantis has decided it’s time to audit … Republican leadership,” UnidosUS Florida Director Jared Nordlund said Monday.
“The irony is so thick you could cut it with a butter knife. The governor’s latest move to create a ‘DOGE task force’ — a knockoff of the ineffective federal DOGE — feels less like a serious policy effort and more like a bizarre attempt to stay relevant in national politics. During today’s press conference, he claimed to have been mulling over this for two years, but what has he been doing for the past six years as governor?”
The state has commissioned a study of the “return on investment” of certain programs offered by universities, including women and gender studies, computer science, civil engineering, finance, and nursing, the Phoenix reported in December. The report is expected to be released about midway through the Legislative session, which starts next week.
Rep. Anna Eskamani told the Phoenix that targeting the financial aspect of women and gender studies and related programs represents a second effort to eliminate the programs after lawmakers shied away from taking that step in 2023 after she raised First Amendment concerns.
“What the BOG is trying to do is give another reason to remove this program by saying, ‘Economically it doesn’t make sense,’” Eskamani told the Phoenix in December.
“So, this is what is really scary, because they knew they couldn’t remove these programs just based on speech. … So now they’re trying to make up an argument that, ‘Ooh no, there’s an economic reason why we don’t like them. We don’t care about what the programs teach, we just don’t see the economic value of them anymore.’”
Although DeSantis’ and Diaz’s comments centered around having better outcomes for students, the Board of Governors mulled stronger financial oversight over universities in January amid concerns that the New College of Florida was not using transparent financial practices.
New College came under the leadership of former House Speaker Richard Corcoran two years ago after DeSantis replaced its board of trustees with his own appointees. The institution has shifted toward a more conservative approach, including eliminating its gender-studies program.
Board of Governors suggests more financial transparency; New College spending questioned again
Board of Governors member Eric Silagy suggested during a meeting last month that the institution has been improperly spending on athletics and he has “frustration because of the inconsistency around a lot of these things” when reviewing university finances.
Vice Chair Alan Levine suggested a “more transparent scorecard of university finances,” and advocated for more visibility into the financial management of the institutions.”
Another point raised by Silagy centered around the approximately $90,000 cost to the state to educate each student each year at the small liberal arts college in Sarasota.
DeSantis’ executive order will create an “independent” audit effort within the Office of Policy and Budget in the governor’s office. It is in addition to measures currently taken to promote financial accountability.
Universities have long had internal audit processes and are subject to audit reviews by the Board of Governors Audit and Compliance Committee and the board’s inspector general.
The Legislature appoints an auditor general, responsible for auditing universities, including reviewing former University of Florida President Ben Sasse’s spending while in office.
Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com.