Florida’s State University System chair Alan Levine delayed a vote on the University of Florida’s permanent presidential hire amid governance compliance concerns, but the UF Board moved anyway by naming Stuart Bell interim president. The UF governing board unanimously voted to appoint Bell in a special meeting, with his interim contract starting July 1. Levine cited worries that UF Board chair Mori Hosseini had been delegated “sweeping authority,” and pointed to alleged financial and contractual practices inconsistent with best practices in governance. UF board members pushed back, and Levine said the system would schedule a special meeting “as soon as legally possible” to vote on Bell permanently. The dispute is unfolding as right-wing groups continue to oppose Bell based on prior DEI support at the University of Alabama, setting up another high-stakes leadership test for UF’s flagship status and governance structure.