The event took place at Florida Gulf Coast University, which is one of the universities that has been hurt by the PBF metrics the Florida Board of Governors (BOG) has used since 2014-2015. The metrics favor big state universities like the University of Florida and Florida State University that are already well-funded. State investment PBF money is also denied each year to the three universities that finish in the “Bottom 3” each year no matter how much they improve.
The BOG denied PBF state investment funds to FGCU in 2017-2018 because it was in the “Bottom 3.” For all the other years, FGCU received one of the lowest state investment PBF amounts. Florida A&M University did not receive state investment PBF money in 2015-2016, 2017-2018, or 2018-2019 because of the “Bottom 3” policy. Its PBF money in the other years was also on the low end like that at FGCU.
Last session, the Democratic candidates for governor sat on the sidelines during the legislative debate over PBF reform. None of the candidates even mention PBF reform on their campaign websites. They also haven’t released any written plans for fixing the flawed PBF metrics.
No promises to increase earmarks for HBCUs in Florida were made at the debate, either. The major Democratic gubernatorial candidates have not released written proposals for boosting the funding that FAMU, Bethune-Cookman University, Florida Memorial University, or Edwards Waters College received from the state.
The FAMU School of the Environment could be a major partner in helping Florida with the environmental problem that was discussed for the first 15 minutes, which was the pollution in Lake Okeechobee that has brought toxic algae to seven counties. The contaminated water is a threat to the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico coasts in Florida.
FAMU’s largest ever research grant was a $15M award from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in 2011. A column in the Orlando Sentinel stated that NOAA “estimated that algal blooms, including blue-green algae as well as red tides offshore, costs the tourism and seafood industries nationwide at $82 million per year. Impacts can include reduced fish populations and lost access for fishermen, beach closures and canceled hotel and dinner reservations.”
The five candidates Democratic gubernatorial candidates who took part in the debate were Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, former U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham, real estate investor Jeff Greene, business owner Chris King, and former Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine.