Thurston, Rouson, Powell move to boost FAMU’s recurring funding by $4.5M

L-R: Sen. Perry E. Thurston, Jr., Sen. Darryl Rouson, and Sen. Bobby Powell

A late budget amendment in the Florida Senate sponsored by Sen. Perry E. Thurston, Jr. and supported by Sen. Darryl Rouson and Sen. Bobby Powell boosted recurring revenue for Florida A&M University up by $4,500,000, taking it from the originally approved $70,592,150 to a total of $75,092,150. The Florida Senate adopted the amendment on Wednesday, February 7th.

The amendment transferred $6,000,000 from the “Startup and Enhancement Grants for Programs of Excellence” to “FAMU Operational Support.” It then shifted $1,500,000 from “FAMU Operational Support” to nonrecurring money for “Startup and Enhancement Grants for Programs of Excellence.”

That $75,092,150 would be a $1,132,699 boost over the $73,959,451 for general revenue that FAMU received for 2017-2018.

The Florida Senate and Florida House of Representatives are still a far way off from a budget deal. The House voted to cut general revenue at FAMU down to $60,171,856, which would be a painful $13,787,595 reduction from what FAMU had last year.