When nine top donors and administrators recounted the full story of former UF President Ben Sasse’s resignation, one name came up for each of them — Morteza “Mori” Hosseini.
Hosseini, a CEO and major Republican donor, has served as the UF Board of Trustees’ chairman since 2018.
The board has influence over the employment of Sasse’s former staff members. It’s unclear how many of the staff Sasse hired have remained employed at the university, including previous aides from his time as a United States Senator. Several remain in the UF directory, but they are missing main web pages or profiles on the President’s Cabinet website.
Hosseini’s position comes with considerable power, including the ability to override certain presidential decisions. Hosseini also influenced major initiatives across the university, like the expansion of the J. Wayne Reitz Student Union.
In a Board of Trustees meeting on July 23, Hosseini said he asked UF’s Chief Financial Officer Taylor Jantz to allocate $25 million to support faculty “who work so hard to serve our students and do great research.”
Hosseini did not elaborate on how the $25 million would be distributed.
Sasse’s spending spree
Sasse's office employed more than 30 staff members, a stark contrast to interim president Kent Fuchs, who had fewer than 10 during his presidency.
James Wegmann and Dan Dillon are among those still listed on the UF President cabinet website and are believed to still be employed. Wegmann, salaried at $432,000, is Sasse’s former Senate communications director and serves as UF’s vice president of communications. He works remotely from Washington, D.C.
Wegmann replaced UF spokesman Steve Orlando, who made $270,000 a year in the position. Additionally, Orlando had nearly 30 years of experience in UF media relations before he was demoted to Wegmann’s deputy.
Orlando has not responded to The Alligator’s inquiries.
It still remains unclear the status of:
- Raven Shirley, Kari Ridder and Kelicia Rice, who are ex-Senate staffers and served as presidential advisers to Sasse.
- Penny Schwinn, who was hired as UF’s inaugural vice president of PK-12 and pre-bachelors programs. Schwinn was allowed to work remotely from her home in Nashville, Tennessee, and was hired with a starting salary of $367,500.
- Alice James Burns, the former scheduler for Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC), was hired as Director of Presidential Relations and Major Events. She salaried at $205,000..
- Raymond Sass, Sasse’s former chief of staff, was paid $396,000. He continued living in Maryland despite his newly created role as UF’s vice president for innovation and partnerships.
- Taylor Sliva, Sasse’s former Senate press secretary, was hired to be UF’s assistant vice president of presidential communications and public affairs, another new position. He was salaried at $232,000.
The university has not responded to The Alligator’s public records request regarding the status of employment for Shirley, Ridder, Rice, Schwinn, Burns, Sass and Sliva.
DeSantis and Hosseini
Several reports from The Washington Post and other news outlets outline Hosseini’s notable contributions to Gov. Ron DeSantis. In 2018, DeSantis had taken several undisclosed trips on private jets belonging to Hosseini.
In 2019, Hosseini donated a golf simulator worth $27,500 to DeSantis’ mansion and provided him with private flights as recently as February.
In 2021, DeSantis reappointed Hosseini as chair of the Board of Trustees.
Hosseini has also served as a trustee at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University since 1999. The private non-profit costs an average of $42,408 a semester in tuition alone.
In 2022, Hosseini’s companies gave at least $361,000 to political groups aiding DeSantis’ reelection campaign, with a report by The Orlando Sentinel noting, “Hosseini has donated nearly $3.5 million over nearly two decades” to conservative committees, the Republican Party and GOP candidates.
For DeSantis’ 2024 presidential campaign, Hosseini was amongst several donors who donated more than $1 million to DeSantis’ political action committee, The Alligator previously reported.
UF interim president Kent Fuchs said he is unsure of Hosseini’s political affiliation, but maintains that the chairman of UF’s Board of Trustees is expected to work closely with the Senate President, Speaker of the House and Governor, regardless of where they stand politically.
“Does he have strong personal relationships? Absolutely, he does,” Fuchs said. “He uses that to work on behalf of the university. He’s not a politician at all.”
Hosseini is not compensated for his work at the University of Florida but dedicates extensive time and energy to the institution due to his passion for it, Fuchs said. Although Fuchs has had disagreements with Hosseini and previous chairs, he added that they have always found common ground for the sake of the university.
Florida attorney John Morgan, a leading Democratic fundraiser who graduated from UF’s law school, referred to Hosseini as a “money guy for the [government]” in an email to The Alligator.
Morgan alleged he most recently gave the university $1 million. In a series of social media posts on X, Morgan said he knew many of the UF Board of Trustee members — especially James W. Heavener.
However, when asked by The Alligator if he had any comments on the UF Board of Trustees, Morgan wrote in an email response that he didn’t know enough about them, but that, “they are political appointees who do what the governor wants. Basically, toothless tigers who donated to his campaign.”
Others who took to X to share their frustrations, such as Republican Representative Matt Gaetz and the DeSantis administration, have not responded for comment.
After nine attempts to contact, Hosseini has not responded to The Alligator’s inquiries about Sasse’s resignation or the donors and officials who testified to the extent of his involvement.
What’s coming next
On Aug. 15, Jimmy Patronis, Florida’s Chief Financial Officer and State Fire Marshal, took to X to announce that his agency would be reaching out to the Florida Board of Governors to offer auditing support and said that the Board should, “investigate this issue to ensure tuition and tax dollars are being properly used.”
DeSantis’ office has not responded to inquiries regarding the audit’s current status.
Still, Sasse has expressed an interest in becoming president emeritus and will be teaching college classes at the Hamilton Center, a GOP-mandated civic program with a focus on the education of classic Western literature, Western philosophies and the foundation of American politics.
As part of his severance package, Sasse will also receive a $1 million base salary until 2028. However, the realization of Sasse’s plans and the future of his employees are all dependent on the approval of the UF Board of Trustees — and especially on Mori Hosseini.
Contact Vivienne Serret and Annie Wang at vserret@alligator.org and awang@alligator.org. Follow them on X @vivienneserret and @wynwg.
Annie Wang is a sophomore journalism student and the Fall 2024 University Administration Reporter. She previously wrote for the University Desk as a General Assignment reporter. In her spare time, she can be found reading and writing book reviews.
Vivienne Serret is a UF journalism and criminology senior, serving as the Fall 2024 race and equity reporter for The Alligator's Enterprise desk. She previously worked as a columnist and previously reported for The Alligator's university desk as the student government reporter. She loves karaoke and lifting at the gym.
