Florida CFO calls for investigation of 'concerning' spending by UF President Ben Sasse

Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis Thursday called on the state university system to investigate spending by outgoing University of Florida President Ben Sasse , saying his department would "offer auditing support."

"Reports of @UF's exorbitant spending by Ben Sasse’s office are concerning," Patronis wrote in a social media post on X.

The Independent Florida Alligator reported earlier this week that Sasse, a Republican former U.S. senator from Nebraska who spent only 17 months heading UF , had "more than tripled his office’s spending, directing millions in university funds into secretive consulting contracts and high-paying positions for his GOP allies."

"As my agency can investigate fraud, waste and abuse, @FLDFS will reach out to @FLBOG to offer auditing support," Patronis wrote.

FLDFS refers to the Department of Financial Services, which Patronis heads as a statewide elected official. FLBOG is the State University System's Board of Governors, the 17-member panel that oversees Florida's 11 state universities and the New College of Florida.

"BOG should investigate this issue to ensure tuition and tax dollars are being properly used," wrote Patronis, a former GOP Florida House member who graduated from Florida State.

A request for comment on Patronis' offer of help is pending with a BOG spokesperson. Another request is pending with Patronis' office in Tallahassee.

He's now at least the second high-level Florida Republican to chime in on social media about Sasse's stunted tenure as UF's administrative leader.

U.S. Rep Matt Gaetz, who represents the western Florida Panhandle in Congress, said Sasse "was LARPing as a Florida Man," gaming lingo for 'live action role playing.'

"He was a terrible University president who never should have been hired. Send him back to Nebraska," Gaetz wrote Wednesday.

The chief spokesperson for Gov. Ron DeSantis, who last month said he wasn’t “involved necessarily” in Sasse's appointment at UF, said the governor takes "the stewardship of state funds very seriously."

"We ... have already been in discussions with leadership at the university and with the Board of Governors to look into the matter,” Bryan Griffin said in a text message to the USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida on Thursday.

Sasse announced he was stepping down last month because of his wife's epilepsy diagnosis. That has prompted the restart of a search for a permanent replacement at Florida's flagship university, which enrolls more than 60,000 students and has almost a $4 billion budget.

The Alligator reported spending by the president’s office swelled to over $17 million in his first year, which was "up from $5.6 million in former UF President Kent Fuchs’ last year, according to publicly available administrative budget data."

And a "majority of the spending surge was driven by lucrative contracts with big-name consulting firms and high-salaried, remote positions for Sasse’s former U.S. Senate staff and Republican officials," the newspaper reported.

Sasse's resignation became effective July 31. Former UF President Kent Fuchs is serving in the interim until a new leader takes over permanently.

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News Director Jim Rosica can be reached at jrosica@tallahassee.com . Follow him on X: @JimRosicaFL .

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida CFO calls for investigation of 'concerning' spending by UF President Ben Sasse