New College of Florida set to gain USF Sarasota-Manatee campus in land deal

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida legislators have negotiated a deal to expand New College of Florida, by transferring USF Sarasota-Manatee land to the college.

The deal is part of the state budget, which is set to be voted on this week.

If the proposal is passed, it would transfer all USF Sarasota-Manatee land and specified assets to New College. USF would receive a monthly payment from New College for an outstanding debt of $166,617.

"As the end of the special legislation approaches, the potential transition represents a thoughtful and forward-looking opportunity to expand New College’s capacity while preserving continuity for the Sarasota-Manatee community," New College of Florida President Richard Corcoran said in a statement on social media.

Citizens to Protect the Ringling & USF Sarasota-Manatee issued a statement denouncing the deal as fiscally reckless.

“This deal hands New College a campus and its $53 million in outstanding dorm bond debt without a credible plan for how an unrated, financially weaker institution will service that debt. It dismantles a thriving, community university that for decades has educated working adults, veterans, place-bound students, nurses, teachers, and the regional workforce our economy actually depends on. And it does so against the warnings of New College’s own former VP of Strategy, Nathan Allen, who has publicly called the arrangement ‘lethal’ and predicted closure," Nancy Parrish, President of Citizens to Protect the Ringling & USF Sarasota-Manatee, said.