DeSantis admin claims universities 'significantly misreported and under-reported’ DEI spending: report

A spokesperson for Florida Governor recently claimed that the state’s public universities did not accurately report diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and critical race theory (CRT) spending.

“It is our belief that the self-reported figures from state universities….were significantly misreported and under-reported,” Bryan Griffin said, WFLA reports. 

Campus Reform has extensively covered the DeSantis administration’s probe into DEI spending at Florida state colleges and universities, which has uncovered at least $15 million in Florida taxpayer dollars going towards DEI initiatives, according to estimates from the State University System of Florida (SUSF).

[RELATED: ‘Toe the line:’ Professor leaves academia as DEI corrupts STEM]

Last week, the DeSantis Administration issued its first public statement on DEI and CRT spending in the state, calling it an “extraordinary misuse of taxpayer funds,” as reported by Florida’s Voice.

DeSantis held a press conference on January 31, saying, “We are also going to eliminate all DEI and CRT bureaucracies in the state of Florida. No funding, and that will wither on the vine.”

He continued by declaring, “Those bureaucracies are not representative of what the people of the state and the taxpayers of the state want.”

[RELATED: How Florida colleges help support the $9.5 billion DEI industry]

The Governor’s Press Secretary Bryan Griffin agreed with Desantis, observing that “the bureaucrats feel like they run the show…and just by exposing what they are doing, they feel like the public is intruding. That’s not how it is supposed to work.”

The Governor’s objective, according to Griffin, “is about reestablishing public control and public authority over public universities.”

During the press conference, Griffin stated he will release new information every Thursday regarding the findings of the DeSantis administration with respect to DEI spending.

Griffin tweeted on February 2 a list of expenses from the initial report released from SUSF:

Here are a few shockingly wasteful highlights:

-The “Diversity and Inclusion Office” at USF which costs taxpayers over $1.1 million/yr

-The “Center for Environmental Equity and Justice” at FAMU that costs taxpayers $1.8 million per year https://t.co/FYdJthSOTA

— Bryan Griffin (@BryanDGriffin) February 2, 2023

Campus Reform published an investigation into the Center For Environmental Equity and Justice at Florida A&M University, which is entirely taxpayer-funded to the tune of $1.79 million.

The DEI industry as a whole cost approximately $9.5 billion over the entirety of 2022, according to MSNBC.

Campus Reform contacted all parties mentioned and will update the story accordingly.

Follow Gabrielle M. Etzel on Twitter.