Sen. Rick Scott opposes tuition increases at Florida's public universities

U.S. Sen. Rick Scott on Monday issued a strong statement against raising tuition at Florida’s public universities.

During his tenure as Florida’s governor, the Naples Republican was adamantly against raising tuition and fees for students and put the responsibility on universities to operate more efficiently to cut expenses.

But with the State University System facing millions of dollars of cuts in the upcoming legislative session because of costs associated with the coronavirus pandemic, Board of Governors members have raised the issue. The last tuition increase of 1.7% was in 2013.

Florida’s in-state tuition and fees averages a little more than $6,300, placing the state with the second lowest tuition in the country, with only Wyoming charging less.

In September, BOG member Eric Silagy raised the tuition increase question, considering expectations that higher education budgets will be cut.

“We continue to ask for more support from the state. We’re not reducing expenses, we are keeping tuition flat,” Silagy said. “Is it realistic at some point of adjusting tuition up rather than depend upon the Legislature to make it up or asking universities to tighten spending?”

In Monday’s statement, Scott said as governor he worked to pass several constitutional amendments that make it harder to raise taxes and fees, including one requiring two-thirds of lawmakers to vote on a tax or fee increase for it to become law, and requiring a supermajority vote of the State Board of Governors to impose, raise or authorize university fees.

The governor said his appointments to the Board of Governors were based on a buy-in to keep costs lows for families and students.

“Raising tuition on families is a tax increase, and it’s a tax increase that harms Floridians’ ability to achieve the American dream of earning a higher-education diploma,” Scott said. “As families are still struggling to recover from the coronavirus, leaders in Florida should absolutely not consider raising tuition.”

Scott noted the federal government has spent almost $14 billion in the CARES Act to give higher education institutions the support they need during the coronavirus pandemic. He also said the move to online instruction should also help reduce the costs of campus operations.

“Businesses and families around the country are having to navigate this difficult time – our universities have to do the same and live within their means instead of taking the easy way out and passing the costs on to students,” he said. “The opportunities and dreams of future graduates are at stake, and we owe it to them to continue our fight against the tax increase of rising tuition.”

Members of the Board of Governors did not directly oppose the possibility of a tuition increase although they have prided themselves of the current No. 1 state university system rating.

“This is the right discussion to have,” said BOG vice chairman Brian Lamb, who chairs the Budget and Finance committee. “I think it’s prudent to look at all of the levers we have to pull.”

Contact senior writer Byron Dobson at bdobson@tallahassee.com or on Twitter @byrondobson.

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