As the Florida Board of Governors convenes today to vote on the appointment of Dr. Santa J. Ono as the next president of the University of Florida (UF), a chorus of prominent Florida Republicans are voicing strong opposition, citing concerns over his past leadership decisions at the University of Michigan and the University of British Columbia.
U.S. Representative Greg Steube (R-Fla.) has led the charge, sending a letter to the Florida Board of Governors requesting they block Dr. Ono’s confirmation.
This plea follows the UF Board of Trustees’ unanimous decision to advance Dr. Ono, currently president of the University of Michigan, as their sole finalist. The UF Presidential Search Committee had also unanimously recommended Dr. Ono, praising his record of leadership in academia and public health.
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Rahul Patel, Chair of the Presidential Search Committee, had previously expressed confidence in Dr. Ono, stating, “Throughout an extensive and thorough process, we sought a leader who could match UF’s extraordinary momentum… Dr. Ono’s proven record of academic excellence, innovation and collaborative leadership at world-class institutions made him our unanimous choice.”
However, Rep. Steube, a “Double Gator” alumnus of UF, sharply disagreed with the Trustees’ decision. In his May 30, 2025 letter, he stated, “His dubious record throughout his career makes it clear that Dr. Ono is unfit to lead our state’s flagship university. Hollow assurances of an ‘evolved mindset’ cannot erase Dr. Ono’s history of preferential treatment for far-left causes, coupled with his cold indifference to student safety.” Steube also criticized the UF Board of Trustees for dismissing objections from himself and others, including Senator Rick Scott, as mere “external voices.”
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Steube’s letter detailed several concerns regarding Dr. Ono’s tenure at previous institutions:
- University of Michigan: Steube alleges Dr. Ono waited nearly three weeks before addressing reported assaults on law enforcement, class disruptions, and property vandalism by pro-Hamas demonstrators in May 2024. He also highlighted Dr. Ono’s 2022 declaration urging faculty and students to “believe in and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI),” noting that formal changes to DEI programs at Michigan, which had the largest and most expensive DEI bureaucracy in the nation from 2023-2025, only occurred in December 2024 and March 2025 – actions Steube suggests were reactions to legal pressures rather than genuine shifts in perspective.
- University of British Columbia: During his presidency, Dr. Ono reportedly prioritized “climate justice” and promoted “radical gender ideology.”
- General Statements: Steube also cited Dr. Ono’s claim that “systemic racism is embedded in every corner of any institution” in the United States and his 2023 inaugural address at Michigan, which focused on “DEI 2.0” and “wrestling with racism and inequity and injustice.”
Rep. Steube expressed skepticism about Dr. Ono’s recent op-ed and claims of an “evolved perspective,” questioning the confidential search procedures that he believes did not yield the best candidate. “Dr. Ono stated that he was ‘not an expert’ on the damaging initiatives he long championed… Yet the consequences of these past decisions are permanent,” Steube wrote, urging the Board of Governors to “reject Dr. Ono’s selection.”
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Other prominent Florida Republicans have echoed these concerns. Congressman Byron Donalds stated on X, “We have the top university system in America because we put students first and leave ideology at the door,” questioning Dr. Ono’s stance on DEI.
Senator Rick Scott also posted on X, expressing “serious concerns” about Dr. Ono’s nomination, particularly regarding his handling of a pro-terrorist encampment at the University of Michigan, which Scott claims endangered Jewish students. State Representative Jimmy Patronis added on X, “There’s too much smoke with Santa Ono. We need a leader, not a DEI acolyte. Leave the Ann Arbor thinking in Ann Arbor.”
The UF Board of Trustees, in a May 22 statement titled “Taking UF Forward,” had previously defended their selection. Chairman Mori Hosseini and Vice Chair Rahul Patel expressed confidence in their process and Dr. Ono, with Hosseini pointing to Dr. Ono’s recent op-ed as evidence of a “decisive break from the progressive orthodoxy.”
The final decision now rests with the Florida Board of Governors, who are scheduled to make their confirmation vote today at 1:00 p.m. in Orlando, amidst significant political pressure.
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