Florida Legislature agrees to a 2026-27 state budget

The Florida Legislature has completed its work on the state budget for the 2026-2027 fiscal year, including a range of items that impact the University of South Florida.

In the coming days, the Legislature is expected to vote to approve the budget and associated bills and then send them to Gov. Ron DeSantis for his review, approval and line-item veto consideration before the end of the fiscal year on June 30.

During the budget negotiation process, the Legislature agreed to adopt the governor's proposal to transfer facilities on the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus to New College of Florida while USF will retain more than $22 million in recurring operating funds currently associated with that campus. Keeping those operating dollars allows USF to retain all faculty and staff and teach-out all current students whose home campus is Sarasota-Manatee.

"My focus remains the same as it has always been: To take care of our people, to communicate with transparency and to support the workforce needs of the Sarasota-Manatee community," USF President Moez Limayem said in a message to the university community. "Our students, faculty and staff will remain at the center of every decision we make. My commitment is that USF will still be a strong partner for the Sarasota-Manatee community. We will reach out to our stakeholders to work together to determine how our university can continue to help the region's growth."

Limayem added, "USF's strength is not a collection of buildings and land, our real strength has been, and always will be, our people."

Though the facilities transfer is not final until DeSantis signs the bill, USF has created an initial list of FAQs should he approve it. Information will continue to be posted on the website throughout the process.

In other portions of the state budget, USF will receive significant new funding for key capital projects and important university initiatives that will enhance student success, research excellence and the institution's overall impact.

Below is a summary of the newly proposed investments in USF, agreed upon by the Legislature in its budget negotiations in recent weeks:

USF operating Budget

• A $3.5 million recurring and $2 million nonrecurring increase to USF's operational budget. Among the use of these funds is the expansion of critical research initiatives, including at the Darryl E. Rouson Center for Substance Abuse and Mental Health Research.
• Over $4 million recurring and $2 million nonrecurring operational support for the Florida Institute for Parkinson's Disease at USF Health, which was established in law last year. This funding will continue to position USF as a national leader in Parkinson's and related neurological research and advance discovery and improve outcomes for patients living with Parkinson's disease.

USF Facilities

• $25 million to construct a new facility that will house the Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing that will help further position Tampa Bay as a global leader in these fields. The state funds will supplement the record-setting $40 million private gift from Arnie and Lauren Bellini to support this new college.
• $10 million for phase one of the design and construction of the USF Health Translational Research Institute facility, which will be a transformational health research facility and allow USF to grow its research portfolio and bring the university closer to reaching its goal of securing $1 billion in annual research funding.
• $8 million to invest in various campus life facility projects, funded by the Capital Improvement Trust Fund.

In addition, the following special initiatives for USF were also funded:

• A $3 million nonrecurring investment to grow USF's initiatives that bolster national and critical infrastructure security.
• A $200,000 nonrecurring increase for the Center for Neuromusculoskeletal Research within USF Health.

"Given the state's overall budget constraints, USF has fared well with funding and we are grateful for the continued investments during this year's session from the members of the Legislature," Limayem said.

The Legislature also authorized the use of debt to pay for the construction and development of the USF Fletcher District, which will be a vibrant, transformational
mixed-use project. This authorization helps ensure the district will open on schedule for USF students and the community in fall 2028.

In his message, Limayem also recognized elected officials, particularly from Pinellas County, for their outreach since the fire at USF's Marine Science Laboratory on the St. Petersburg campus earlier this month. USF is still assessing the damage and working to get a more complete understanding of the needs to rebuild. Limayem noted that while the university wants to move quickly, it will take time, and USF is still going through the insurance process. He said the university will keep gathering more information and will continue discussions with legislators going into next year's legislative session.