TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WFLA) – The Governor’s Office of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is moving into state universities to take a deeper look into all aspects of their operations and their spending habits.
DeSantis visited the University of South Florida on Wednesday and spotlighted the state university’s spending habits.
Pursuant to an executive order issued in February of this year, Governor Ron DeSantis announced the creation of the Florida DOGE Task Force.
In addition to local government spending, he plans to shed light on state universities, writing letters to university presidents and demanding that they share their budget breakdowns, staffing levels, and the closure of all diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. The governor warned that non-compliance would result in a site visit.
Fast forward to today, DeSantis went a step further and called for the revocation of H-1B visas in higher education, saying universities are choosing to hire foreign professionals rather than prioritizing American workers.
“We need to make sure that Floridians have first-class employment opportunities,” DeSantis said.
On the audit side, the Governor’s team is now calling these actions its own version of DEI, the “DeSantis Efficiency Initiatives,” and is working with federal DOGE and state university systems to cancel or repurpose more than $33 million in diversity equity and inclusion-related grants.
“This is not rocket science. It’s basically taking basic financial management practices and applying them to the university. We do it at the local level, but it should be done at the university level,” said Ben Watkins, director of fixed income finance.
But Bay Area Democrats say this is simply an attack on the University of South Florida community.
House Minority Leader Fentris Driskell (D-Tampa) said in a statement with eight people on your side:
“Yesterday, every Democrat in the Florida Legislature called on Governor DeSantis to act to prevent food assistance from ending next week for millions of Florida children, parents, and seniors.
Instead, he spent today attacking USF, the heart of our community and the engine of our economy. His priorities have always been about his personal ambitions and plans, not helping hard-working Floridians find solutions to put food on the table.
This political dog and pony show speaks for itself, but says nothing about the real issues facing Tampa Bay today. ”
There is a 25-page PowerPoint presentation and a 45-page report requested by 8 On Your Side from the governor that identifies areas where the university could operate differently. This matter will be discussed at the next Board of Regents meeting on November 5, 2025 at the University of South Florida.
