Florida Republicans are speaking out against former University of Michigan (UM) president Dr. Santa Ono ahead of a vote on Tuesday to approve him to head the University of Florida (UF).
During his time at the Michigan school from 2023 to 2025, Ono oversaw the largest and most expensive DEI bureaucracy in the nation. Now, many fear that Ono will bring the same ideology to Florida if he is approved by the Board of Governors.
“We have the top university system in America because we put students first and leave ideology at the door,” Republican Florida Rep. Byron Donalds said on X. In a several-post thread, the congressman questioned Ono’s stance on DEI, pointing to a comment Ono once made stating “systemic racism is embedded in every corner of any institution.” (RELATED: University Of Michigan’s Spending On ‘Diversity’ Grew 66% In Just One Year)
We have the top university system in America because we put students first and leave ideology at the door.
Tomorrow in Orlando, the Florida Board of Governors will vote on whether Santa Ono should be the next President of @UF.
Now more than ever, Floridians deserve answers.…
— Byron Donalds (@ByronDonalds) June 2, 2025
Ono signaled to UF’s Board of Trustees in May that his stance on DEI had changed.
“It became clear to me — through experience, not theory — that something had gone wrong and that real reform was necessary,” Ono said of UM’s DEI policies, according to The Detroit News. “Changing one’s mind isn’t easy, especially in public life, but when the evidence and outcomes are clear, leadership means acting on what you have learned.”
The recently dismantled UM DEI program first came under fire after it was revealed to be creating a deteriorating campus climate with students and staff reportedly becoming less likely to interact with people of a different race, religion or political ideology since the program’s conception in 2016. The university has invested $250 million into DEI since the program’s start.
During Ono’s tenure, UM continued to funnel millions towards DEI staff and initiatives and implemented programs such as a workshop on “recognizing racism in everyday life.”
“I have serious concerns about Santa Ono’s nomination to be the president of the University of Florida, and every single member of the Florida Board of Governors should be demanding answers right now,” Republican Florida Sen. Rick Scott said in an X post. “[UF] is a world-renowned institution, and our state’s flagship university that has set a gold standard for fighting antisemitism and protecting Jewish students, and its leadership must follow suit. Clearly, Ono has a concerning record from his time at the University of Michigan, where he allowed an illegal, pro-terrorist encampment to take over the campus for nearly a month, putting Jewish students in danger and failing to uphold even the most basic standards of leadership.”
I have serious concerns about Santa Ono’s nomination to be the president of the University of Florida, and every single member of the Florida Board of Governors should be demanding answers right now. @UF is a world-renowned institution, and our state’s flagship university that…
— Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) June 3, 2025
“[UF] sets the benchmark for education nationwide,” Republican state Rep. Jimmy Patronis said on X. “There’s too much smoke with Santa Ono. We need a leader, not a DEI acolyte. Leave the Ann Arbor thinking in Ann Arbor.”
The Board of Governors declined to give comment.
Despite being one of the most outspoken governors against DEI, Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has vowed to stay out of the decision regarding Ono’s election, but stated some of the university president’s past comments have made him “cringe,” according to Florida Politics.
“I don’t know the candidate,” DeSantis said, according to Florida Politics. “But basically, I think the folks that were involved in the search after having interviewed him, spent time with them, it’s their judgment that he’s really kind of reached the limit on the campus leftism, and he would want to leave Michigan, where that is prevalent, to Florida, where it’s frowned upon, because he wants to be more in line with what Florida is doing and our policies. And they really believe that.”
UF Board of Trustees chair Mori Hosseini, a major donor to DeSantis and known at times as “the most powerful unelected person in Florida,” has been part of the push to secure Ono at UF.
“He is the right person to accelerate UF’s upward trajectory and help make it the undisputed leader among America’s public universities,” Hosseini and Trustee Vice Chair Rahul Patel wrote in an email to alumni, according to Florida Politics. “The Search Committee unanimously selected Dr. Ono because of his exceptional academic credentials, his principled leadership, and his demonstrated ability to drive meaningful, positive change. He is a builder — and the University of Florida is on the move. UF has never had more momentum.”
Ono resigned from his position at UM in May after he was selected as a candidate for UF. The university’s Board of Trustees already voted in favor of Ono in May. Ono was allegedly offered a $15 million five-year contract with UF.
DeSantis’ office and the Board of Trustees did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment. The DCNF was unable to reach Ono for comment.
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