Florida’s Board of Governors advanced a proposal to prohibit new H‑1B hires at public universities through early January of next year, pledging a public comment period before a full board vote. The proposal, driven by gubernatorial appointees, would halt a common pathway universities use to recruit international faculty, researchers and specialized staff. System leaders presented the moratorium as a data‑gathering pause to better understand H‑1B usage across campuses; faculty and student representatives warned of consequences for research, clinical staffing and graduate programs. The measure follows similar action in other states and comes after federal H‑1B fee changes that have already raised hiring costs. If enacted, the ban would force institutions to rework talent pipelines, reallocate grant staffing plans and potentially slow research projects that depend on foreign national hires.