Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the results of audits of Florida’s State University System and said he is directing the Florida Board of Governors to stop the use of H‑1B visas at state universities.

DeSantis told reporters the audits identified uses of H‑1B visas for positions he said should be filled by Florida residents or U.S. workers, citing examples including athletic‑department assistants, data analysts, academic support roles and several assistant‑professor positions. “I am directing today, the Florida Board of Governors to pull the plug on the use of these h 1 b visas in our universities,” he said.

The governor also said the state has repurposed or canceled more than $33,000,000 in DEI‑related grants made to public universities and identified over $10,600,000 in grants within the Florida College System that the state is working to repurpose or cancel. “We banned DEI in 2023 with the legislature passing it,” DeSantis said, describing the grant work as part of that enforcement effort.

Ben Watkins, director of the Florida Division of Bond Finance, who led the audit work described at the briefing as a fiscal‑efficiency review, said the analysis used audited financial statements, student data and personnel information to produce metrics to support oversight. “Doing this will provide radical transparency to how universities are using nearly $4,000,000,000 of state funds that are being invested and expended by the universities each and every year,” Watkins said.

Ray Rodriguez, chancellor of the State University System of Florida, said the system performs strongly on affordability and student outcomes but welcomed the efficiency data as a tool for the Board of Governors and local boards of trustees to tighten operations. “Our system’s doing really well. If you want to use an analogy, we’re at the top of the mountain. But we’re not just standing at the top of the mountain enjoying the view,” Rodriguez said, describing plans to revise performance‑funding metrics.

University of Florida interim president Dr. Don Landry said UF will review its use of H‑1B hires and that the university system is committed to efficiency and outcome measures. “Student success, that’s what this place is all about,” Landry said.

Stasi Kamutsis, identified at the event as Florida’s education commissioner and a member of the Board of Governors, praised the state college and university systems’ workforce role and endorsed the governor’s emphasis on prioritizing state residents for job opportunities. “Thanks to this governor cracking down on Florida’s h 1 b visas, we will ensure that Americans are filling out our workforce,” Kamutsis said.

The governor and presenters emphasized that the audit framework is intended for transparency and to support trustees’ oversight of university operations. Watkins said the state will present a 45‑page single‑spaced report to the Board of Governors and that institutions can use the framework for granular, campus‑and‑unit level reviews.

DeSantis framed the H‑1B directive and grant cancellations as part of a broader push to ensure state funds and institutional practices align with what he described as the universities’ traditional mission of rigorous education and merit. He linked the university audits with earlier and continuing efforts to examine local government spending and with statewide policy priorities.