Florida’s gubernatorial intervention in the University of Florida presidency intensified after Gov. Ron DeSantis flew to New Jersey to offer the job to Princeton professor Robert P. George — an offer George declined, according to multiple administrators and operatives. George reportedly steered DeSantis toward Donald Landry of Columbia, who later became interim president. The episode underscores direct political involvement in flagship presidential searches and highlights fractures among powerful players: Gov. DeSantis, UF Board of Trustees chair Morteza Hosseini, and university leadership. Sources told The Chronicle that DeSantis’s outreach diminished Hosseini’s long-standing control over hires and signaled the governor’s willingness to shape campus leadership directly. Florida’s episode illustrates how state political priorities are reshaping appointments at public research universities, affecting hiring criteria and the balance between academic experience and political alignment.