Dear USF community,
Today, Gov. Ron DeSantis officially signed into law the state budget for fiscal year 2025-26.
Throughout the legislative session, our state leaders have prioritized less spending, which is reflected in a total state budget that is significantly smaller than last year. With this in mind, we are grateful that the budget includes key investments for several high-priority USF initiatives.
The support from the state will enable us to continue to prepare students for success in high-demand fields, solve real-world challenges through research and innovation, drive economic impact and elevate our communities. As we advance these goals, we will remain focused on fiscal responsibility and operational efficiency as we strategically pursue bold opportunities to accelerate our momentum and show why we provide a great value for the state of Florida.
Today, the governor approved the following:
USF Operating Budget
- A $12.5 million nonrecurring and $2.5 million recurring increase to USF’s operational budget to support work on each of our campuses. A large portion of this increase is funded through a new nonrecurring investment in Preeminent State Research Universities.
- An $8 million nonrecurring operational support increase to fund strategic projects at USF Health, including Parkinson’s and neurological research.
USF Facilities
- $10 million to begin construction on the facility that will house the Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing. This facility will help position the Tampa Bay region as a global leader in these fields and the state funds will supplement the record-setting $40 million private gift from Arnie and Lauren Bellini to establish the new college.
- $10 million to complete the state’s share of the Environmental & Oceanographic Sciences Research and Teaching facility at the USF St. Petersburg campus. This investment will further position St. Petersburg as a world-class center of marine and environmental science, education and community engagement.
- $8.5 million to upgrade our facilities and services offered to student-veterans, military families and first responders on the Tampa campus.
- $8 million to plan for construction of the new USF Health Translational Research Institute facility, which is expected to be the largest standalone facility dedicated to research in our institution’s history.
- $7.3 million to invest in campus life facility projects across all campuses and USF Health, funded by the Capital Improvement Trust Fund.
In addition, the following special initiatives for USF were also approved:
- $2.5 million to acquire and install cutting-edge classified research equipment at the Institute of Applied Engineering.
- $1 million for the Eileen Hoffman Hafer UMatter Program at USF St. Petersburg, which provides students with unique abilities an accessible university experience in a postsecondary setting. The funding will allow the program to expand enrollment and upgrade facilities.
Additionally, the Legislature appropriated new funding to enhance security and cultural protections for Jewish students throughout the state, including $325,000 at USF.
While this was another successful year for USF, the governor did exercise his line-item veto authority to remove $500,000 in nonrecurring funds for USF’s Center for Neuromusculoskeletal Research at USF Health.
We are grateful to the Florida Legislature for enacting, and to Gov. DeSantis for approving, such a strong budget for USF. I appreciate the members of the Legislature, including Senate President Ben Albritton, House Speaker Daniel Perez and our entire Tampa Bay Area Legislative Delegation for their support of USF. I also wish to thank the Board of Governors, including Chair Brian Lamb and Chancellor Ray Rodrigues, and our Board of Trustees, including Chair Will Weatherford and Vice Chair Mike Griffin, for their advocacy throughout this year’s legislative session.
Thank you to the USF community for everything you contribute to our university’s success and for your commitment to ensuring we continue to serve as one of America’s leading research institutions.
Go Bulls!
Sincerely,
Rhea F. Law
President