Despite inklings that Gov. Charlie Crist, the Florida Legislature and the Board of Governors could soon be on the same page with tuition increases, the board will not back down from its lawsuit for tuition-setting power.
On Friday, Crist said he would consider approving a statewide 5 percent tuition increase in the spring, even though he vetoed the same proposal for fall in May, said Anthony De Luise, the governor's spokesman.
The increase was proposed by the state Legislature during its special session this week.
At a meeting in September, the Board of Governors announced its own 5 percent hike without the approval of Crist or the Legislature.
Although the board has typically left tuition rates up to the discretion of the Legislature, Bill Edmonds, the board's spokesman, said the board is constitutionally allowed to set tuition without permission.
In July, the board joined former Sen. Bob Graham's lawsuit against the Legislature to fight for tuition-setting authority.
Edmonds said a decision would probably be made by the end of the year by a circuit court judge in Leon County.
No matter what the verdict is, Edmonds said the decision would probably be appealed by whoever loses, and the case would probably make its way to Florida's Supreme Court.
De Luise said the governor is waiting for the lawsuit's ruling before commenting.
The board's tuition increase will take effect in January at Florida's 11 public universities unless the judge decides the board doesn't have tuition-setting power.
However, the increase could go through regardless of who constitutionally holds the tuition purse strings.
If approved by Crist, the Legislature's 5 percent increase would also go into effect in January.
Even if both proposals were approved, the total increase would remain at 5 percent, Edmonds said.
The Legislature's final word on the increase proposal would probably be made today or tomorrow, he said.
After that, it will go to Crist for his approval or veto.
Edmonds said the board welcomes Crist's support but doesn't need it to proceed with the hike.
"We're glad to have it. That's for sure," he said. "But it's not an issue of a veto."
The board's long-range goal is to raise state tuition enough to match the national average, which is ,5,836, according to documents from the board.
Average tuition in Florida is currently short of the average by more than ,2,000 a year.
"Given that we already have the lowest tuition in the country, it seems appropriate to ask students and parents to contribute more," Edmonds said.
He said a 5 percent increase would bring in an extra ,9.5 million for this academic year, which is about ,55 per student.
The extra money is welcomed, but it's only a drop in the bucket, he said.
UF alone has planned budget cuts of ,34 million this year.
"It's no secret that we need it," said Steve Orlando, UF spokesman, about the increase.
In September, Crist also proposed cuts of about ,600 of state funding for every student in the State University System to deal with a statewide tax deficit.
But the Legislature has the final say on Crist's budget recommendations.
"Let's give the governor some credit here," Edmonds said. "It's easier for someone in a high-profile position to not change his mind."
