OPINION: DeSantis’ DOGE Task Force will be a disaster for Florida universities
In the name of “economic efficiency” Gov. Ron Desantis is coming down hard on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at Florida colleges.
At a Tampa press conference on Feb. 24, DeSantis announced the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Task Force in Florida which will subject all 12 Florida public universities to a thorough examination of their finances over the next year.
The initiative outlines a plan to do an in-depth examination of spending, courses and programming at all Florida universities to boost transparency and reduce “wasteful spending” of taxpayer money.
And by “wasteful spending,” DeSantis means DEI-related activities and positions.
“Any programs or departments that are supportive of DEI will be cut,” DeSantis said in the press conference.
Related: USF is a top Florida school. It should pay like it.
As a result of Florida’s DOGE Task Force, more than 70 state boards and around 900 state jobs could be cut, DeSantis said in the press conference.
Nothing says “government efficiency” like rising unemployment.
DeSantis has every right to make sure taxpayer money is being used and allocated properly, but it seems as if the governor is disguising mass unemployment and anti-DEI propaganda as protecting taxpayers.
Deanna Michael, an associate professor in higher education and policy at USF, said Florida already has a very efficient education structure in the state college systems.
DeSantis’ DOGE Task Force was yet another pointless act by DeSantis to prove he calls the shots.
“Florida has systems in place to prevent fraud or misallocation of funds,” Michael said. “The DOGE Task Force seems to be duplicating this effort.”
In 2024, the state banned the use of federal and state funds for DEI programs at Florida colleges and universities.
But this DEI rollback wasnt enough for DeSantis, he plans to purge any remaining DEI initiatives he suspects still exist.
Related: OPINION: Make USF “woke again”
“You can’t simply say you’re following our law to eliminate DEI by just simply recharacterizing it using different terms, you’re still violating the law. And if we find that, we will absolutely hold you accountable,” DeSantis said.
USF spokesperson Althea Johnson said USF is aware of the executive order issued by DeSantis. The university is reviewing the order and awaiting further guidance or information from the state.
As part of the auditing process, critical roles and services will be examined and possibly dismantled. State employees may also refuse to further DOGE’s agenda and depart from our universities.
And we’ve seen at the federal level how DOGE’s implications on the workforce, as 21 of Elon Musk’s DOGE employees resigned from their positions as they “refused to dismantle critical public services,” the staffers wrote in a resignation letter.
“In Florida, we were DOGE before no one was even talking about it, before it was even cool to do,” DeSantis said at the press conference.
Who knew laying off hundreds would be something to brag about? Someone needs to tell DeSantis this isn’t the flex he thinks it is.
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