Several states have followed the federal government and created entities named after the federal Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), including Florida. But Florida is the only state whose DOGE targets colleges and universities.
The Florida DOGE—a task force set in the Governor’s Office and led by a former federal Department of Transportation inspector general— earlier this month sent letters to all public college presidents demanding exhaustive documentation by the end of the month.
The requests include:
· Research audits: Every publication, preprint, or publicly shared draft since 2019, including author names, titles, funding sources, and “length of research.”
· Grant disclosures: Policies for allocating indirect costs and lists of all grants awarded since 2019.
· Staffing details: Descriptions of all non-instructional roles, including salaries and grant administrators.
In a March 26 follow-up, the DOGE warned of upcoming campus site visits to enforce compliance with Governor DeSantis’ executive order, which tasks the team with eliminating “wasteful spending” and “inefficiencies” in government and academia. Future requests could target course syllabi, campus centers, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, the letter noted.
Faculty: “A multidimensional attack” on scholarship
Critics argue the DOGE’s vague rationale and expansive demands mirror recent state efforts to curb certain fields, such as gender studies, while straining university resources.
“This is part of a broader, multidimensional attack on the independence of the university,” said
Dan Saunders, a tenured higher education professor at Florida International University and faculty union negotiator. He criticized the state’s failure to explain how the data will be used, warning of “cherry-picking” by “unsophisticated AI” to distort findings.
David Simmons, University of South Florida engineering professor and Faculty Senate president, noted much of the requested research is already public on platforms like Google Scholar. “The request is so large as to be nearly impossible,” he said, calling forced compliance a drain on manpower. While stressing he was not speaking for his institution, Simmons said faculty fear the state seeks to suppress “disfavored ideas”—a move he called “fundamentally un-American.”
State: A bid to “cut government bloat”
DeSantis’s office defended the initiative as part of a “prudent fiscal” mission to “eliminate wasteful spending” across agencies. A spokesperson said the DOGE would collaborate with institutions to “identify and return unnecessary federal grants” misaligned with state policies.
The executive order, enacted in late 2024 and set to expire in 2026, directs the DOGE to use “cutting-edge technology” to audit spending. It also requires state agencies to form their own DOGE teams, though Florida remains the only state targeting higher education through such a framework.
Unions: “Political witch hunt”
Teresa M. Hodge, president of the United Faculty of Florida union, condemned the research audit as a power grab. “This is not about transparency; it is about control,” she said. “Our members should not be forced to defend their scholarship in a political witch hunt.”
The DOGE has not responded to interview requests. The State University System deferred questions to the Governor’s Office, which declined to address specifics about how data will be analyzed or safeguarded.
What’s Next?
Campuses face an April 30 deadline to submit initial documents, with site visits expected to begin in May. Faculty groups vow to challenge requests they deem intrusive, while the DOGE’s focus on “bureaucratic” cuts raises questions about potential staff reductions or program eliminations.
For now, the clash underscores a deepening divide between Florida’s administration and its academic institutions—one that scholars say threatens to accelerate a brain drain and erode public trust in higher education.