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Tampa Council blasts Alexander budget “insult” to USF

Posted Feb 16, 2012 by Lindsay Peterson

Updated Feb 16, 2012 at 01:38 PM

The Tampa City Council is joining the lineup of local agencies, councils and boards castigating a Senate plan to cut more than $100 million from the University of South Florida.

“We can’t let a vendetta against our university go unanswered,” said Councilman Mike Suarez, referring to suspicions that Senate budget chairman JD Alexander is behind the move.

Alexander has been warring with USF in his campaign to turn its Lakeland campus, USF Polytechnic, into an independent university.

“This issue has insulted everybody. This is the greatest insult of all insults, ever. This is about one individual who has taken a personal vendetta against the University of South Florida,” said Councilman Charlie Miranda.

“Wake up and grow up,” Miranda continued, clearly referring to Alexander. “Forget who your family is and how much money you have.”

The council plans to put its outrage in a letter to send to Gov. Rick Scott and the Legislature.

Alexander’s committee backed off on one piece of the budget proposal yesterday, when it decided not to withhold $25 million from USF as planned.

It was seeking a guarantee that USF Poly would turn over all its assets if the new university plan goes through this year. (The proposal slipped into the higher education budget last week circumvents a state Board of Governors step-by-step plan to build Poly into an independent university.)

Still, however, USF stands to lose at least 40 percent of its state funding.