Commissioner Diaz: DeSantis ‘Vindicated’ on Requesting CRT Transparency from Universities

TALLAHASSEE (FLV) – Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz, Jr. responded to a judge’s ruling that allows the DeSantis Administration to request information about how state colleges and universities use state resources on diversity and critical race theory campus activities.

“Yesterday’s federal court ruling vindicated Governor DeSantis’ request for transparency at Florida’s publicly funded state colleges and universities,” Diaz said.

“The citizens of Florida deserve to know about the programs and campus activities their tax dollars are funding at these institutions on Critical Race Theory and other ideologies that teach students to hate each other and put race, not character, at the center of moral and historical discussion.”

On January 4th, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office requested data from publicly funded universities and colleges about the expenditure of state resources on programs and initiatives related to diversity, equity, inclusion and critical race theory. The schools were asked to submit the data by Friday.

Earlier this week, a group of Florida college professors asked a federal judge to block DeSantis’ request on the spending data. The group claimed it violated the temporary halt against enforcing the recent “Stop WOKE” Act, which bans educators and workplace employers from teaching Floridians that their “moral character” is determined by race, sex, or national origin.

On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Mark Walker, who had previously criticized the “Stop WOKE” Act, said the governor’s request for data on how colleges spend money did not violate the preliminary injunction.

“Although this Court would not hesitate to compel compliance with its preliminary injunction, this Court finds there has been no violation of the injunction at this time,” Walker said.

I am glad we will be able to continue our commonsense, fact-finding mission within Florida’s public colleges and universities.

Education Commissioner Manny Diaz, Jr.

The Governor’s Office requested the information as it prepares for budget proposals ahead of the 2023 Legislative Session.

“It is important that we have a full understanding of the operational expenses of state institutions. Governor Ron DeSantis has prioritized a cost-effective higher education system that delivers high quality service to Floridians to best prepare them for employment,” a letter from the DeSantis Administration said.