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News Service of Florida
University system eyes $800 million facilities plan
A report from the state university system suggests $800 million in facilities money that could be sought during the 2022 legislative session should be divvied up to cover roughly half of each school’s needs.
The system’s Board of Governors last month proposed making the funding request amid a discussion about aging buildings. Only Florida Polytechnic University, the state’s most recently-built school, is not reporting a need for deferred maintenance projects. The board’s Facilities Committee will meet Jan. 5 to consider approval of the budget request.
An agenda posted online Wednesday outlined a proposal to divide the money based on “each university’s prorated share, as per their stated need” reported by the schools in a Dec. 5 survey. The universities reported collectively needing $1.68 billion for facility maintenance projects.
The suggested plan would provide 48 percent of each school’s stated need. For example, Florida State University would receive $171.5 million and the University of Florida would receive $281.8 million. Schools that were built more recently would receive less money, like Florida Gulf Coast University at $2.7 million and the University of North Florida at $10.7 million. The document said that “upon receiving funding, each university can allocate resources to the projects they deem most critical and of greatest priority at that time.”
The plan is targeted at making repairs to buildings that house classrooms, laboratories, offices, gymnasiums and campus support services. The 2022 session will start Jan. 11.
