The University of North Florida is undergoing a comprehensive audit by the Florida Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a state agency established by Governor Ron DeSantis in February.
The initiative aims to evaluate public universities across Florida for potential inefficiencies and wasteful spending, according to state officials.
On March 26, 2025, UNF received a letter from the governor’s office notifying the institution of the state’s plans to assess “unnecessary programs, courses, staff, and any other inefficiencies.”
The Florida DOGE has requested six years’ worth of records, including grant applications, faculty research publications, and detailed information on non-instructional staff roles and salaries.
The scope of the audit has raised concerns among some faculty and staff. Dr. Sean Freeder, an assistant professor of political science at UNF, expressed apprehension about the potential implications of the review, particularly for non-tenured staff, according to the UNF Spinnaker, the school’s student newspaper.
He noted that while faculty members have certain protections, staff may feel more vulnerable to potential repercussions.
Students have also voiced their concerns. Lacie North, a senior studying English and professional and public writing, shared her uncertainty, saying, “I just don’t know what to expect,” she told the paper. “I’m worried a lot of my favorite humanities courses will be taken away, and we’ll see layoffs at UNF like the rest of the nation.”
The Florida DOGE’s review process is part of a broader initiative to scrutinize public universities across Florida. Institutions have been instructed to provide extensive documentation, including all awarded grant applications, publicly available research or academic drafts, and a comprehensive list of all non-instructional staff positions, including job titles, salaries, and work arrangements.
The DOGE has also indicated plans for site visits to ensure compliance with the governor’s executive order and existing Florida law.
DeSantis said in February that the audits will help to ensure that Florida’s public universities are “effective in operations and financing.”
“This is the DOGE-ing of our state university system,” he said.
The DeSantis-led Florida DOGE arm is not connected to the federal Department of Government Efficiency—also abbreviated DOGE—which is informally associated with tech titan Elon Musk and part of a separate initiative under the Trump administration.
