A bill on higher ed presidential searches is ready for full House consideration

©2025 The News Service of Florida

Florida House members Tuesday continued moving forward with a bill that would make a series of changes related to the leadership of the higher education system, including repealing a law that shields information about candidates to become college and university presidents. The House Education & Employment Committee unanimously supported the bill (HB 1321), positioning it to go to the full House. In part, the bill would repeal a 2022 law that provided exemptions to public records and public meetings laws for presidential searches. Under the law, identifying information about most presidential applicants is not disclosed, though information about finalists for the positions is made public. Bill sponsor Michelle Salzman, R-Pensacola, said the bill is taking the search process “out of the shade and bringing it back into the sunshine.” A revised version of the bill Tuesday also would do such things as prevent the governor and other state officials from discussing vacancies or advocating for presidential candidates with members of the state university system’s Board of Governors, the State Board of Education, university boards of trustees or college boards of trustees. The Senate Higher Education Appropriations Committee is slated to take up the Senate version of the bill (SB 1726) on Thursday.