Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez spoke to the Florida State University System Board of Governors about the office of the governor’s stance on Amendment 3 and Amendment 4. (Screenshot via The Florida Channel)
Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez used a Wednesday morning appearance at a State University System Florida Board of Governors meeting to advocate against passage of the two most disputed constitutional amendments on the ballot.
She criticized Amendment 3, which would legalize marijuana for recreational use, and Amendment 4, which would prevent government interference in abortion through the first trimester, before talking about the national profile of Florida’s public institutions.
“The governor has been laser focused, along with the first lady and myself, crisscrossing the state, focusing on important issues,” Nuñez said.
She criticized Amendment 3 for its ties to “one company in particular” and claimed that Floridians would not be allowed to grow the plant at home. The company she alluded to is marijuana giant Trulieve, which has spent more than $100 million advocating for the amendment.
Nuñez tied marijuana usage to higher education.
“I think that you should all care about that amendment, what the implications are for your campuses across the state of Florida,” Nuñez said.
“Just think about what it is going to look like in terms of policing that, in terms of addressing that. You’re going to see it as you’re walking to the library. As students are tailgating across your football stadiums, when they’re walking across the lawn, meeting up with fellow students just to study. And so those are going to have significant implications for the quality of life on your campuses, but also from law enforcement.”
The governor’s office and Amendment 3 advocates have sparred about the extent to which the Legislature could regulate pot if it does receive the required 60% approval from voters. One proposal is legislation prohibiting smoking marijuana in public places, similar to the way cigarettes are regulated.
The Board of Governors meeting was held at the lieutenant governor’s alma mater, Florida International University in Miami.
Nuñez attacked Amendment 4, saying it would remove the requirement for parental consent for abortions. Also, “It would allow for abortion up until any point in the pregnancy.” The amendment actually says later abortions could be allowed if necessary to protect the patient’s health.
As part of his routine update, which took place about five hours after Nuñez’ comments, State University System Chancellor Ray Rodrigues reminded university officials that state institutions cannot use financial resources to promote political agendas. He said the system has not seen such activities occurring, but threatened action if complaints arise.
The DeSantis administration, meanwhile, has been leveraging state resources against both amendments 3 and 4.
“Very soon we’ll be in November and election season will finally be here and the political commercials will go away,” Rodrigues said.
“However, there are items on the ballot that are deeply important to our state and to members of our community. That said, I want to remind our institutions that, pursuant to our regulation on prohibited expenditures, institutions and their direct support organizations are prohibited from using state or federal funds to engage in political or social activism.”
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Searching
Three presidential searches are underway within State University System institutions. President Ben Sasse at the University of Florida and Larry Robinson at Florida A&M University left their posts this summer, while Florida Atlantic University has had an interim president for about two years.
UF announced its search committee, which will recommend a pool of candidates who must be approved by the chair of the Board of Governors and the UF Board of Trustees, on Tuesday.
The 15-person committee includes three members of the Board of Governors, including UF Student Body President John Brinkman, the lone student representative. Governors Tim Cerio and Charles Lydecker are the other two.
The committee includes three UF Board of Trustees members, including Rahul Patel as chair. Three professors and the College of Nursing dean are on the committee, as is Jon Pritchett, chair of the UF Foundation.
FAMU’s search was delayed earlier this month when its trustees were unable to reach a quorum for the meeting in which it was supposed to select a search firm.
FAMU Board of Trustees Chair Kristin Harper said Wednesday the school will announce its presidential search committee soon.
Timothy Beard started a one-year contract in August to serve as the university’s interim president following the resignation of Robinson, who served as president for nearly seven years.
FAU’s search committee has set presidential qualifications and is awaiting approval from its trustees. The university will begin marketing the position in November, Governor Craig Mateer said.
Other updates
The board approved a new PhD program for aerospace engineering at the FAMU and Florida State University College of Engineering.
UF received approval from the board for a PhD in microbiology and cell science as a self-supporting track degree.
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