Above photo: A bill to remove USF St. Petersburg’s separate accreditation has passed through the house. House Bill 423 was rewritten and amended to be added to Senate Bill 4. Jonah Hinebaugh | The Crow’s Nest
By Jeffrey Waitkevich
A bill that would consolidate accreditation across the three campuses in the USF System has been passed, but it’s not House Bill 423.
The bill was rewritten and added to Senate Bill 4 – another higher education bill.
The amendment to add the information from HB 423 to SB 4 barely passed. In order for an amendment to be adopted, it needs two-thirds of the House to vote in approval – or 78 votes.
It got 79.
Rep. Chris Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor, who pushed HB 423, voted in favor of adopting the amendment.
Rep. Ben Diamond, D-St. Petersburg, who has publicly opposed HB 423, voted against it.
SB 4 was passed with 84 yeas and 28 nays.
Next step? The Florida Senate.
The legislative session will end Friday, so the Senate will not have much time to deliberate.
