TAMPA, Fla. – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis held a news conference Wednesday morning to discuss some of the findings of recent “DOGE” audits conducted on public universities.
During the news conference in Tampa, DeSantis said one of the main findings of the audits was the prevalence of employees working under H-1B visas, adding that he will be directing the Florida Board of Governors to “pull the plug” on the use of these visas in universities.
“We need to make sure our citizens here in Florida are first in line for job opportunities,” DeSantis said.
An H1-B visa allows U.S. employers to temporarily employ foreign workers in “specialty occupations” that require a bachelor’s degree or higher, such as those in technology, engineering, and medicine.
At the news conference, DeSantis read a list of positions currently filled by foreign employees at public universities who are on H‑1B visas. He read each position along with the employee’s country of origin, including China, Poland, Spain, Canada and the United Kingdom.
“This is basically, in some respects, cheap labor that they’re bringing in to try to save money. So we saw the results of that. We thought a lot of it was, quite frankly, troubling and disappointing,” DeSantis said.
Last month, DeSantis talked about the state’s ongoing “DOGE” efforts, which aim to review government agencies’ efficiency and cut wasteful spending. He said public universities would be subject to these audits as well as local governments.
Division of Bond Finance Director Ben Watkins said on Wednesday that DeSantis’ order to audit universities allowed them to evaluate the efficiencies and how universities operate from a financial perspective.
Watkins said they prepared an efficiency study that will be presented next week to the Board of Governors.
That study uses data from three sources: audited financial statements, student data and personnel information from the universities to calculate ratios or performance metrics related to efficiency and productivity, Watkins said.
“Doing the efficiency study also assesses and evaluates how universities are being managed financially. Doing this will provide radical transparency to how universities are using nearly $4 billion of state funds that are being invested and expended by the universities each and every year,” Watkins said.
Florida has also repurposed or canceled DEI-related grants that were made with total intended amounts of more than $33 million. Several grants were canceled due to their lack of compliance with state and federal laws, DeSantis said. Examples include:
- $1.5 million for “Challenging Anti-Black Racism in Civil and Environmental Engineering Curriculum,” a grant centered around environmental justice and equitable and inclusive curriculum for civil engineers.
- $1.3 million for “Mobilizing Physics Teachers to Promote Inclusive and Communal Classroom Cultures Through Everyday Actions,” a grant focused on inclusive and equitable practices for women and minority racial groups and promoting inclusion and equity in classrooms.