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.
Florida Student Association, Inc. (FSA) was formed in 1976 under the "Florida Not For Profit Corporation Act".Section 617.01011 of the Florida Statutes. 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".Section 1004.26, "University student governments", Florida Statutes. 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.Section 617.0801, "Duties of board of directors", Florida Statutes.
Current Members UniversitiesUniversityLocationEstablishedEnrollment (Fall 2024)Student Body President for 2026–2027Florida A&M UniversityTallahassee, Florida18878,972Kennedy WilliamsFlorida Atlantic UniversityBoca Raton, Florida196130,246Lance MooreFlorida Gulf Coast UniversityFort Myers, Florida199116,800Robert KrampenFlorida International UniversityMiami, Florida196548,696Aly MederosFlorida Polytechnic UniversityLakeland, Florida20121,766Colby ManrodtFlorida State UniversityTallahassee, Florida185142,945Ian Seibert New College of FloridaSarasota, Florida1960872TBDUniversity of Central FloridaOrlando, Florida196369,067Shivani VakhariaUniversity of FloridaGainesville, Florida185358,933Matthew BravoUniversity of North FloridaJacksonville, Florida196915,732Hazel JosephUniversity of South FloridaTampa, Florida195647,906Hunter RabinowitzUniversity of West FloridaPensacola, Florida196313,851Eli 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. 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. 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. In 2025, Governor Ron DeSantis recommended the Focus on Fiscal Responsibility 2025–2026 Budget, which allocated $3.9 billion to the State University System. 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.Section 1001.70(2) of the Florida Statutes.
The Florida Board 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.
+Past student members of the Florida Board of GovernorsInstitutionYearCarson DaleFlorida State University2025–2026John BrinkmanUniversity of Florida2024–2025Jack HitchcockFlorida State University2023–2024Nimna GabadageFlorida State University2022–2023Nastassia JanvierFlorida State University2021–2022Ally SchneiderUniversity of North Florida2020–2021Zenani JohnsonUniversity of West Florida2019–2020Jalisa WhiteFlorida Gulf Coast University2018–2019Kishane PatelUniversity of West Florida2017–2018Jacob HebertUniversity of West Florida2016–2017Tonnette GrahamFlorida A&M University2015–2016Stefano CavallaroFlorida State University2014–2015
Financial Aid Appeals Committee An applicant for state student financial aid may appeal the rejection of their 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".Rule 6A-20.0371, "Right to Appeal Eligibility Determination", Florida Administrative Code.
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.Section 1009.42, "Financial aid appeal process", Florida Statutes.
Rally in Tally The Florida Student Association holds an annual gathering in Tallahassee called Rally in Tally. 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".Section 617.0302(5), "Corporate powers", Florida Statutes. 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".FSA bylaws, Article II, as amended on February 2, 2012.
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.
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. This bill eventually died in the Appropriations Committee. 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". Section 1009.98, "Stanley G. Tate Florida Prepaid College Program", Florida Statutes. 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."Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, The First Hispanic Woman Elected to Congress" . CHLI Spotlight. Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute, March 13, 2014. With lobbying efforts by student government presidents and David Corry (FSA Executive Director)David Corry became the "Executive Director" of FSA on August 2, 1986. "SG bosses pick new leaders at meeting". Central Florida Future, Vol. 18, No. 54, page 1. University of Central Florida, June 18, 1986. and Shari Caprara (FSA Legislative Director),Shari Caprara became the "Legislative Director" of FSA in August, 1985. Florida Flambeau. Florida State University, August 19, 1985. 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."Overview" of prepaid college plans, offered by the Florida Prepaid College Board. Most of the plans were purchased by parents and grandparents when their children/grandchildren were toddlers.
See also Advisory Council of Faculty Senates Florida Board of Governors Florida College System Activities Association State University System of Florida Florida College System
References
External links Official website FSA's "Profile" at Charity Navigator