Governor Ron DeSantis has announced the appointment of Sen. Doug Broxson to the Florida Board of Governors of the State University System.
Broxson, who lives in Gulf Breeze, has a long history of public service, having served in the Florida House of Representatives Districts 1 and 3 from 2010 to 2016, and he held the District 1 seat in the Florida Senate from 2016 to 2024.
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“Well, I think this is the result of my last four years in the senate, where I was the chair of the (Senate) Appropriations (Subcommittee) for Higher Education and K-12, and then (I was) the General Appropriations chair,” said Broxson.
He suggested that his experience will really come in handy as universities adjust to financial realities post-COVID, when federal dollars were flowing.
“Unfortunately, that paradigm is changing,” Broxson stated. “The state is going to go through, according to the long-term projections, there’s going to be some contraction in the budget, and I think they want someone who was probably — they have two on the board that are former House members — I believe they felt they needed someone that had been in the Senate to understand how the process works, the way senators think, and what they can expect in future years. And, if I can help them deliver that message.”
In a press release from the Governor’s office, DeSantis touted Broxson as a good choice for appointment to the post.
“As a leader in education reform, Senator Doug Broxson has stood by my side as we acted to support parental rights, eliminate DEI, reform tenure, and invest in teacher salaries,” said Governor DeSantis. “I am proud to appoint Senator Broxson to the Board of Governors, and I know he will continue his great work to ensure Florida remains the number one state in the country for higher education.”
The governor also highlighted Broxson’s work in spearheading tort reform and in lowering home and auto insurance premiums for Floridians.
Broxson replaces Patricia Frost, who has served since 2010. He says he didn’t initiate or seek the appointment but was aware he was being considered.
“I knew that I was on a short list of potential members and that they would make that decision sometime late in 2025,” he said. “So, the announcement today was not a complete surprise, but one that you never know until it happens.”
Broxson says appointments to the state Board of Governors typically last seven years, which will give him time to listen and learn some of the challenges faced by the state’s public universities.
“I have a lot of issues that I see and I think about during all the news cycles, but nothing that I would go in there and say, 'this is something that I demand.' I want to make sure that we do this as a team, and I just want to be a good team member."
The next meeting of the Board of Governors is Nov. 5 and 6 at the University of South Florida in Tampa.
