Florida Demanding Every State University System Report Expenditures Related to ‘Diversity’

The DeSantis administration is going on offense and demanding every state university system in the Sunshine State to provide a report on expenditures related to diversity, equity, and inclusion and Critical Race Theory (CRT).

The letter, addressed to Commissioner Manny Diaz as well as Chancellor Ray Rodrigues, requests the information from the Department of Education and State University System “regarding the expenditure of state resources on programs and initiatives related to diversity, equity, and including, and critical race theory within our state colleges and universities.”

The letter contends that the DeSantis administration must have a “full understanding” of the operational expenses of these institutions as it heads into the 2023 legislative session. 

“Governor Ron DeSantis has prioritized a cost-effective higher education system that delivers high quality service to Floridians to best prepare them for employment,” it reads. 

It continues:

Each Florida College System and State University System institution must complete the attached document to provide a comprehensive list of all staff, programs, and campus activities related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and critical race theory. As part of this request, each institution must detail the below costs associated with the administration of each program or activity. 

This includes a description of the activity, positions associated with it, total funding spent, and how much the state funded:

MEMO: All state university & college systems in Florida have been required to report expenditures and resources utilized for campus activities related to diversity, equity, and inclusion and critical race theory. Stay tuned. pic.twitter.com/E4Z4zLuJgC

— Bryan Griffin (@BryanDGriffin) January 4, 2023

Responses are required no later than Friday, January 13, per the letter, which comes as DeSantis continues to prioritize education — free of woke indoctrination — into his second term.

“We reject this woke ideology. We seek normalcy, not philosophical lunacy. We will not allow reality, facts, and truth to become optional. We will never surrender to the world mob. Florida is where woke goes to die,” the governor said during a speech which followed his swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday.

“Florida must always be a great place to raise a family. We will enact more family friendly policies to make it easier to raise children and we will defend our children against those who seek to rob them of their innocence,” he stated.

WATCH:

DeSantis in April signed legislation designed to combat CRT, contending that “freedom from having oppressive ideologies” forced “upon you without your consent, whether it be in the classroom or whether it be in the workplace” is a central tenet of freedom in the Sunshine State.