A previously scheduled audit of University of Florida spending now will be expanded to "encompass Office of the President expenditures," a spokesperson for the State University System's Board of Governors told the USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida on Friday.
The board "will await the final report," Cassandra Edwards said in an email, regarding questions over spending by immediate past UF president Ben Sasse.
The audit will be performed by Florida Auditor General Sherrill F. Norman’s office, she added. Norman, whose job is created by the state's constitution, is appointed by the Legislature.
The Independent Florida Alligator earlier this week reported , among other things, that Sasse 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."
Friday's announcement comes after Bryan Griffin, Gov. Ron DeSantis' chief spokesperson, said the governor's office had "already been in discussions with leadership at the university and with the Board of Governors to look into the matter."
And in a phone interview also on Friday, state Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis said questions over Sasse's outlays "shake the foundation of booster support, alumni support (and) university appropriations. So the quicker we get to the bottom of this, the better off we all are."
Sasse, who resigned effective July 31, stepped down because of his wife's recent health problems but planned to remain at the university. Former UF President Kent Fuchs is serving in the interim until a new leader takes over.
In a lengthy social media post on the X platform, Sasse – a Republican former U.S. senator from Nebraska – defended his actions during his 17-month tenure. In part, he said he'd be "very happy to defend each and every one of these initiatives ... because higher education needs massive reform." They include a planned UF-Jacksonville campus and efforts to start K-12 charter schools under a new state law.
He also deflected criticism: "The longstanding and well-staffed audit function inside UF did not raise any concerns about any of these matters with me," and the UF Board of Trustees "leadership extended me full severance and an ongoing role with the university until at least 2028, suggesting no concerns on their part."
The Alligator had reported that spending pegged to Sasse's office went up to more than $17 million in his first year, "up from $5.6 million in ... Fuchs’ last year," and much of that "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."
Patronis, elected statewide to head the Florida Department of Financial Services, posted on X this week that "reports of @UF's exorbitant spending by Ben Sasse’s office are concerning," and that, "as my agency can investigate fraud, waste and abuse," he'd offer auditing support, if needed.
For example, "I've got 300 sworn law enforcement (officers) that specialize in financial crimes ... but I don't really feel like we're looking to pursue for an arrest," Patronis, a Panama City Republican, said in a phone interview with the USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida. "I just feel like sometimes there needs to be an explanation when there's especially that amount of a swing in expenditures from one presidential administration to a new one ....
"I understand some of this was to lay out a new vision and path of where the University of Florida might be going as a university of higher education," he added. "... Maybe we need to go ahead and start asking some questions to try to calm any concerns down."
Patronis, who reminded a reporter he's a Florida State graduate whose wife went to UF, said "having an understanding (of) how these dollars were spent is critical, it's important."
News Director Jim Rosica can be reached at jrosica@tallahassee.com . Follow him on X: @JimRosicaFL .
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: State auditor general will look into spending by former UF president Sasse, BOG says
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