TALLAHASSEE - The state Senate passed a joint resolution Thursday that would place an elected education commissioner on the Florida Cabinet and take governance powers away from the state's Board of Governors.
Meanwhile, the Board of Governors, the State University System's highest governing body, held its own meeting at Florida State University on Thursday morning, where members denounced the Legislature's efforts and discussed implications.
Carolyn Roberts, chairwoman of the board, told members before the Senate vote that the body would approve the resolution, which would decrease the number of board members from 17 to eight.
"Let it be clear that the Board of Governors will not continue as we sit today," Roberts said.
If the amendment is passed, the proposal will also determine which body has the authority to set tuition, which is the center of a current lawsuit between the board and the Legislature.
The joint resolution passed with a 33-4 vote. To become an amendment and restrict the powers of the board, it must be passed by the House of Representatives and 60 percent of voters in November.
Sen. Lisa Carlton, R-Sarasota, and Rep. Joe Pickens, R-Palatka, are the proposal's co-sponsors. Pickens, chairman of the House's Education Appropriations Committee, said if the joint resolution goes into effect it would clearly define roles of the board and the Legislature.
He said the amendment would lessen the control that the board has over universities, and he added that electing a commissioner of education rather than appointing him would be an advantage.
Sen. Charlie Justice, D-St. Petersburg, was one of four senators, including Sen. Steve Oelrich, R-Gainesville, who voted against the proposal.
Justice said he would hesitate to put the board back on the ballot after being passed by more than 60 percent of people in recent years, but its support in both chambers of the Legislature cannot be denied.
Roberts said she does not believe Florida voters have changed their minds since 2002, when more than 60 percent voted to create the board.
"It's not healthy that opponents cannot agree to disagree," she said. "If we lose an effective statewide board, we lose the ability to shape the vision of the universities."
Roberts excused herself from the meeting shortly after her opening remarks to sit in the gallery of the Senate chambers down the street. She turned her gavel over to Sheila McDevitt, the board's vice chairwoman.
McDevitt, who served on the Senate staff from 1967 to 1979, said after the meeting that she was surprised by how quickly the resolution made its way through the Senate.
"I find it very disheartening to see this happening," she said. "I've never seen anything quite like this."
Mark Rosenberg, the board's chancellor, said after the meeting that the board is focused on the its work ahead despite distraction brewing in the Legislature.
Rosenberg said the board would try to educate leaders in the House about what's at stake for higher-education governance as well as enrollment patterns - and, oh yeah, dealing with a daunting statewide budget situation.
"I promise you, our attention is on reducing the cuts," he said.
