Florida lawmakers agreed to a budget package that would cut tens of millions in support for the state’s “preeminent” universities, eliminating a key funding pot that helped drive faculty hiring and student recruitment. The preeminent designation covers high-performing public research institutions, but the next fiscal year would provide none of the extra funding previously shared. The agreement also repositions campuses through a transfer of the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee unit to New College of Florida, a move Gov. Ron DeSantis has supported as part of a conservative institutional transformation. A final budget vote is expected imminently. The combination—reduced designated-state funding plus campus reallocation—raises immediate planning pressure for universities competing on research output and enrollment growth, particularly those relying on those targeted dollars for staffing and recruitment.