Florida Student Association

{{Short description|Non-profit corporation}} {{Infobox organization | name = Florida Student Association | native_name =  | image = | image_size = | abbreviation = FSA | merged_into =  | successor = | formation = {{start date and age|1976|11|17}}   | founding_location = | tax_id = 59-1673603<ref>The Employer Identification Number (EIN) [https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/pub78Search.do?ein1=59-1673603&names=&city=&state=All...&country=US&deductibility=all&dispatchMethod=searchCharities&submitName=Search "59-1673603"] was assigned to Florida Student Association, Inc. by the United States Internal Revenue Service.</ref> | dissolved =   | merger =  | type = Nonprofit corporation<ref>Florida Student Association, Inc. was organized under the "Florida Not For Profit Corporation Act"; [http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0600-0699/0617/0617ContentsIndex.html Chapter 617] of the Florida Statutes.</ref>  | registration_id = 737328 | status = Active<ref>FSA is classified as an [http://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/SearchResultDetail?inquirytype=EntityName&directionType=Initial&searchNameOrder=FLORIDASTUDENTASSOCIATION%207373280&aggregateId=domnp-737328-c6aa7fb5-008a-4124-9251-5bf0f8f3603c&searchTerm=Florida%20Student%20Association%2C%20Inc.&listNameOrder=FLORIDASTUDENTASSOCIATION%207373280 "Active"] corporation.</ref>  | purpose =   | professional_title =  | headquarters = | region_served =   | services = | num_members =  | num_members_year =  | language =   | secretary_general =  | leader_title = Chairman  | leader_name = Ian Seibert | board_of_directors = | key_people = | main_organ =   | parent_organization =  | subsidiaries = | secessions = | affiliations = State University System of Florida | budget = | budget_year = | num_staff =  | num_staff_year =  | num_volunteers =  | num_volunteers_year =  | slogan =  | website = {{URL|https://www.floridastudentassociation.com}} | remarks = | footnotes = }}

'''Florida Student Association''' was formed in 1976 and is a non-profit corporation composed of the student body presidents from each of the twelve State University System of Florida universities.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Solodev |date=2020-10-16 |title=Higher Education |url=https://www.fldoe.org/schools/higher-ed/ |access-date=2022-06-10 |website=www.fldoe.org |language=en}}</ref>

Florida Student Association, Inc. (FSA) was formed in 1976 under the "Florida Not For Profit Corporation Act".<ref>Section [http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0600-0699/0617/Sections/0617.01011.html 617.01011] of the Florida Statutes.</ref> FSA represents the interests of about 400,000 students of the State University System of Florida. A statute enacted by the state legislature of Florida has created a "student government" at each state university. The statute provides that each student government shall have a "student body president".<ref>Section [http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=1000-1099/1004/Sections/1004.26.html 1004.26], "University student governments", Florida Statutes.</ref> FSA's board of directors includes the Student Body President of each state university student government. FSA's board of directors exercises the corporation's powers and manages its affairs.<ref>Section [http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0600-0699/0617/Sections/0617.0801.html 617.0801], "Duties of board of directors", Florida Statutes.</ref>

== Current Members == {| class="wikitable" ! colspan="3" |Universities ! ! |- !University !Location !Established !Enrollment (Fall 2024) !Student Body President for 2026-2027 |- |Florida A&M University |Tallahassee, Florida |1887 |8,972 |Kennedy Williams |- |Florida Atlantic University |Boca Raton, Florida |1961 |30,246 |Lance Moore |- |Florida Gulf Coast University |Fort Myers, Florida |1991 |16,800 |Robert Krampen |- |Florida International University |Miami, Florida |1965 |48,696 |Aly Mederos |- |Florida Polytechnic University |Lakeland, Florida |2012 |1,766 |Colby Manrodt |- |Florida State University |Tallahassee, Florida |1851 |42,945 |Ian Seibert |- |New College of Florida |Sarasota, Florida |1960 |872 |Maya Rish |- |University of Central Florida |Orlando, Florida |1963 |69,067 |Shivani Vakharia |- |University of Florida |Gainesville, Florida |1853 |58,933 |Matthew Bravo |- |University of North Florida |Jacksonville, Florida |1969 |15,732 |Hazel Joseph |- |University of South Florida |Tampa, Florida |1956 |47,906 |Hunter Rabinowitz |- |University of West Florida |Pensacola, Florida |1963 |13,851 |Eli Schatz |}

== State University System == The universities represented in the Florida Student Association are those that are in the State University System of the State of Florida.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Universities |url=https://www.flbog.edu/2024/05/07/for-the-eighth-year-in-a-row-florida-is-named-the-top-state-for-higher-education/ |access-date=2022-06-10 |website=State University System of Florida |language=en-US}}</ref> The System is completely separate from the Florida Department of Education and State Board of Education, who control K-20, college, workforce and technical, blind, and VPK education.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Solodev |date=2022-05-31 |title=Florida Department of Education |url=https://www.fldoe.org/ |access-date=2022-06-10 |website=www.fldoe.org |language=en}}</ref> Since the inception of the U.S. News & World Report rankings of state University Systems, the publication has named Florida the No. 1 State University System in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Page |first=Heather |date=2024-05-07 |title=For the Eighth Year in a Row, Florida is Named the Top State for Higher Education |url=https://www.flbog.edu/2024/05/07/for-the-eighth-year-in-a-row-florida-is-named-the-top-state-for-higher-education/ |access-date=2025-04-15 |website=State University System of Florida |language=en-US}}</ref> In 2025, Governor Ron DeSantis recommended the Focus on Fiscal Responsibility 2025-2026 Budget, which allocated $3.9 billion to the State University System.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Governor Ron DeSantis Announces the Focus on Fiscal Responsibility 2025-2026 Budget {{!}} Executive Office of the Governor |url=https://www.flgov.com/eog/news/press/2025/governor-ron-desantis-announces-focus-fiscal-responsibility-2025-2026-budget |access-date=2025-04-15 |website=www.flgov.com}}</ref> ==Florida Board of Governors== The FSA Chair and President serves as a member of the Florida Board of Governors without compensation but may be reimbursed for travel and per diem expenses to the extent provided by law.<ref>Section [http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=1000-1099/1001/Sections/1001.70.html 1001.70(2)] of the Florida Statutes.</ref>

The Florida of Governors is a governing board that serves as the governing body for the State University System of Florida, which includes all public universities in the state of Florida. The Board of Governors has seventeen members, fourteen of whom are appointed by the Florida Governor and confirmed by the Florida Senate for a term of seven years. The remaining members include the Chair of the Advisory Council of Faculty Senates, the Commissioner of the Florida Department of Education, and the Chair of the Florida Student Association.

After its predecessor, the Florida Board of Regents, was abolished by an act of the Florida Legislature that was signed into law by Governor Jeb Bush in July 2001, United States senator Bob Graham, who objected to the abolition of the statewide higher education body (Board of Regents), responded by leading a ballot initiative to restore it. The Board of Governors was established in 2003 after the successful passage of the constitutional amendment heralded by Graham in 2002. The Board of Governors, as part of the Florida Constitution, cannot be abolished without another constitutional amendment.

The current Student Body President that was elected as FSA Chair to represent student interests on the Board of Governors is to be decided for the 2026-2027 school year. {| class="wikitable" |+ !Past Student Members of the Florida Board of Governors !Institution !Year |- |Ian Seibert |Florida State University |2026-2027 |- |Carson Dale |Florida State University |2025-2026 |- |John Brinkman |University of Florida |2024-2025 |- |Jack Hitchcock |Florida State University |2023-2024 |- |Nimna Gabadage |Florida State University |2022-2023 |- |Nastassia Janvier |Florida State University |2021-2022 |- |Ally Schneider |University of North Florida |2020-2021 |- |Zenani Johnson |University of West Florida |2019-2020 |- |Jalisa White |Florida Gulf Coast University |2018-2019 |- |Kishane Patel |University of West Florida |2017-2018 |- |Jacob Hebert |University of West Florida |2016-2017 |- |Tonnette Graham |Florida A&M University |2015-2016 |- |Stefano Cavallaro |Florida State University |2014-2015 |}

==Financial Aid Appeals Committee== An applicant for state student financial aid may appeal the rejection of his or her application. The appeal will be heard by a committee of four members appointed by the Florida Commissioner of Education. A decision rendered by an appeals committee constitutes "final agency action".<ref>Rule [https://www.flrules.org/gateway/ruleNo.asp?id=6A-20.0371 6A-20.0371], "Right to Appeal Eligibility Determination", Florida Administrative Code.</ref>

An appeals committee is temporary in nature. There might be no appeals committees in existence at a particular time or there might be several appeals committees, with each committee being assigned to evaluate one or more appeals.

FSA is authorized by law to nominate students to serve as members of appeals committees. Each nominee must be enrolled in a public postsecondary institution in Florida.<ref>Section [http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=1000-1099/1009/Sections/1009.42.html 1009.42], "Financial aid appeal process", Florida Statutes.</ref>

== Rally in Tally == The Florida Student Association holds an annual gathering in Tallahassee called Rally in Tally.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rally in Tally |url=https://www.flstudentassociation.com/rally-in-tally-2019 |access-date=2022-06-10 |website=FSA |language=en-US}}</ref> Students travel from each of the twelve universities in teams to lobby the Florida Legislature regarding education issues and concerns. Past speakers at Rally in Tally events include Mayor John E. Dailey, Sean Pittman, Amber Mariano (politician), Tim Cerio, and more.

==Lobbying== FSA is authorized by law to "Adopt, change, amend, and repeal bylaws, not inconsistent with law or its articles of incorporation, for the administration of the affairs of the corporation and the exercise of its corporate powers".<ref>Section [http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0600-0699/0617/Sections/0617.0302.html 617.0302(5)], "Corporate powers", Florida Statutes.</ref> FSA has adopted a bylaw which provides, in part, that "the activities of the corporation shall include the carrying on of lobbying efforts and otherwise attempting to influence legislation".<ref>FSA bylaws, Article II, as amended on February 2, 2012.</ref>

In 2022, the Florida Student Association lobbied for the return of the $600 Bright Futures Book Stipend, increased resources even the statewide distribution of Title IX officers, a vast increase in mental health resources, and the installment of the Open Educational Resources. From the same session, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a record $396 million for school safety and mental health initiatives.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Silvers |first=David |title=Florida medical amnesty bill could save student lives {{!}} Opinion |url=https://www.tallahassee.com/story/opinion/2019/06/07/florida-medical-amnesty-bill-could-save-student-lives-opinion/1344206001/ |access-date=2022-06-10 |website=Tallahassee Democrat |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2019, the Florida Student Association partnered with Representative Mel Ponder (R) and Senator Anitere Flores (R) to pass House Bill 3419, which would have provided additional funding to homelessness and food insecurity programs on college campuses.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Rally in Tally |url=https://www.flstudentassociation.com/rally-in-tally-2019 |access-date=2022-06-10 |website=FSA |language=en-US}}</ref> This bill eventually died in the Appropriations Committee.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title= House Bill 3419 (2020) - the Florida Senate|url=https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2020/3419}}</ref> FSA also tried to partner with Mike Caruso (R) to eliminate the tax on college textbooks and other instructional materials. The Florida Student Association lobbied successfully for the expansion of Florida's Medical Amnesty laws, which will protect those who call for assistance during an alcohol and drug overdose across the state through HB 595.

FSA was a driving force in the effort to create the "Florida Prepaid College Program".<ref> Section [http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=1000-1099/1009/Sections/1009.98.html 1009.98], "Stanley G. Tate Florida Prepaid College Program", Florida Statutes.</ref> In 1985, FSA asked key Florida legislators to review the State of Michigan's prepaid tuition plan. After reviewing Michigan's plan, Florida State Senator Ileana Ros-Lehtinen sponsored a bill to establish a similar prepaid tuition plan in Florida.<ref>[http://www.chli.org/news/164595/CHLI-Spotlight-Congresswoman-Ileana-Ros-Lehtinen-the-First-Hispanic-Female-Elected-to-Congress.htm "Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, The First Hispanic Woman Elected to Congress"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116172844/http://www.chli.org/news/164595/CHLI-Spotlight-Congresswoman-Ileana-Ros-Lehtinen-the-First-Hispanic-Female-Elected-to-Congress.htm |date=2017-01-16 }}. ''CHLI Spotlight''. Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute, March 13, 2014.</ref> With lobbying efforts by student government presidents and David Corry (FSA Executive Director)<ref>David Corry became the "Executive Director" of FSA on August 2, 1986. [http://stars.library.ucf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1635&context=centralfloridafuture "SG bosses pick new leaders at meeting"]. ''Central Florida Future'', Vol. 18, No. 54, page 1. University of Central Florida, June 18, 1986.</ref> and Shari Caprara (FSA Legislative Director),<ref>Shari Caprara became the "Legislative Director" of FSA in August, 1985. [https://archive.org/stream/Florida_Flambeau_1985_Aug/Florida_Flambeau_1985_Aug_djvu.txt ''Florida Flambeau'']. Florida State University, August 19, 1985.</ref> the Florida House of Representatives and the Florida Senate both passed the bill. The bill was then signed into law by Florida Governor Bob Martinez. Since that bill became Florida law, more than 1.6 million prepaid college plans have been purchased and nearly 350,000 students have attended college under a prepaid college plan.<ref>[http://www.myfloridaprepaid.com/who-we-are/our-history/ "Overview"] of prepaid college plans, offered by the [http://www.myfloridaprepaid.com/who-we-are/about-the-board/ Florida Prepaid College Board].</ref> Most of the plans were purchased by parents and grandparents when their children/grandchildren were toddlers.

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * [https://www.flstudentassociation.com/ Official website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211207020758/https://www.flstudentassociation.com/ |date=2021-12-07 }} * FSA's [https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/591673603 "Profile"] at Charity Navigator

Category:Politics of Florida Category:Non-profit corporations Category:501(c)(3) organizations Category:Student governments in the United States Category:Education advocacy groups Category:Lobbying organizations in the United States Category:Organizations based in Florida Category:Charities based in Florida Category:Student political organizations Category:1976 establishments in Florida Category:State University System of Florida

Florida Student Association

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