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MONDAY, JUNE 29, 2026

VOLUME 120 - ISSUE 37 Not officially associated with the University of Florida

Published by Campus Communications, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida

UF one vote away from a president as Board of Governors delay confirmation POLICY EXPERTS AND STUDENTS REFLECT ON LEADERSHIP TURNOVERS, PRESIDENTIAL REJECTIONS AND A LACK OF TRANSPARENCY IN THE STATE’S FLAGSHIP SEARCH PROCESS

By Swasthi Maharaj Alligator Staff Writer

Former University of Alabama President Stuart Bell is one vote away from potentially becoming UF’s next president as scrutiny intensifies over Florida’s university leadership process. Florida’s university system requires presidents to gain approval from both a university’s Board of Trustees and the state’s Board of Governors. While trustees conduct the search and select a finalist, the Board of Governors holds final authority to confirm the candidate. After receiving unanimous approval from UF’s Board of Trustees June 10, Bell was scheduled to appear before the Florida Board of Governors June 24 for final confirmation. However, Board of Governors Chair Alan Levine wrote in a June 17 letter to Chancellor Ray Rodrigues that the board would be delaying the vote indefinitely, citing university gov-

ernance concerns. Levine said he’s concerned UF policies may allow too much authority to be afforded to one person, empowering individual trustees or board chairs to make decisions that should be made by the full board. In a May 20 letter to Rodrigues, he said it would be “egregious” if decisions were removed from full-board, public deliberation. According to a message posted on UF’s X account, the decision to postpone Bell’s vote is “unfair to Dr. Bell and harmful to the University of Florida and the students, faculty, alumni, and supporters we are entrusted to serve.” On June 22, the Board of Trustees voted unanimously to make Bell UF’s interim president. His interim appointment will begin July 1 and run through June 30, 2027. The agreement states trustees “intend and expect” Bell to be confirmed by the Board of Governors, at which point a permanent presidential contract would replace his interim position. Bell’s interim position is also subject to ratification by the Board of Governors. This all comes just over a year after the Board of Governors rejected former presidential finalist Santa Ono in a 10-6 vote. Ono, a former president of the University of Michigan,

SEE UF PRESIDENT, PAGE 4

Noah Lantor // Alligator Staff

A 104,000 square foot building sits empty, Saturday, June 20, 2026, near downtown Starke, Fla. Read more on pg. 2.

New law adds another chapter to fight over GRU GRU CEO said it could be the nail in the coffin for the city By Logan McBride Alligator Staff Writer

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill June 12 to further establish the GRU Authority’s control over Gainesville Regional Utilities, putting what could be the final cap on a yearslong battle. The bill, which focuses primarily on municipal utilities that provide service outside their city limits, was amended to add the subsection impacting GRU.

This is the latest development in a three-year battle over the utility that has included two city referendums, legal battles before Florida’s District Courts of Appeal and now two major state bills. In June 2023, DeSantis signed a law ending Gainesville’s 116 years of control, switching to a five-member board appointed by the governor. The city responded with two referendums looking to restore local control. The first, approved by 73% of voters in 2024, was thrown out by

a judge over misleading ballot language. In 2025, residents once again voted in favor of restoring local control over the utility. But the new law signed by DeSantis may prevent that from happening. The 24-word subsection — which passed 85-26 in the Florida House and 30-6 in the Senate — reinforces state control. “The subject of a regional utilities authority created by the Legislature through charter amendment after

SPORTS/SPECIAL/CUTOUT

The Avenue: Brewing Thoughts

University to add early decision pg# application. Read more on pg. 3.

Opinions

UF admissions Story description finish with comma,

January 1, 2023, is expressly preempted to the state,” the bill reads. A preemption keeps local governments from altering the policy or rules on a topic. This one keeps Gainesville from making changes or reclaiming control of GRU, because its governance is now reserved for the state. Gainesville is the only city in the state impacted by this subsection. Gainesville Commissioner Bryan Eastman said the city isn’t quitting its fight for control over the utility. “Our city attorney has put forward arguments to the District Court

Santa Fe College students open brick-and-mortar coffee shop, pg. 6

A letter to the UF presidential search committee, pg. 8

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of Appeals showing that this provision was overbroad, poorly written and may not do what they intended for it to do,” Eastman said. “We’re continuing to follow through on that.” Eastman disagreed with the language of the bill. Usually, when something is preempted to the state, he said it’s very clear, like gun laws. The city can’t pass any rules related to firearms, and only state laws related to firearms are on the books. Eastman added it was “weird” and “confusing” to preempt something that only exists at the local level. He said he believes the bill was

SEE GRU, PAGE 4

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