{"id":2182,"date":"2026-06-24T04:03:48","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T04:03:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=2182"},"modified":"2026-06-24T04:03:48","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T04:03:48","slug":"battle-for-control-of-uf-looms-over-confirmation-of-new-president","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=2182","title":{"rendered":"Battle for control of UF looms over confirmation of new president"},"content":{"rendered":"<article><!-- --><!-- --><!-- WPS-5038 -- removed the script from WPS and added the placeholder for trinity player --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- CONTENT --><!--[--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The battle over who controls the University of Florida overshadowed Stuart Bell\u2019s installation as interim president Monday, as UF trustees rallied behind Chairman Mori Hosseini, who has faced mounting scrutiny over his authority.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=2180\">Mom: COVID made me drown 1-year-old daughter in tub. Judge says she\u2019s not guilty<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Before voting to appoint Bell, the former University of Alabama president, as interim president, trustees spent much of the evening defending Hosseini against allegations that he wielded outsized influence over university affairs.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The conflict stems from two overlapping developments: a governance review launched by Florida Board of Governors Chair Alan Levine and an anonymous complaint circulated on social media alleging that Hosseini \u2014 a real estate developer and Republican megadonor \u2014 had used his perch atop UF\u2019s board to benefit his businesses and hand out political favors.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>By the end of the meeting, however, signs of a compromise had emerged. Shortly after trustees unanimously appointed Bell interim president, Board of Governors Chair Alan Levine announced plans for a special meeting to consider Bell\u2019s confirmation as UF\u2019s permanent president following what he called \u201cproductive discussions\u201d with university leaders.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The Board of Governors will now consider Bell\u2019s appointment during a special meeting July 1 \u2014 the same day he is slated to begin as UF\u2019s interim president.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The announcement signals a potential compromise in a standoff that had threatened to delay Bell\u2019s confirmation and raised broader questions about governance at Florida\u2019s flagship university.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<h2>In defense of the board chair<\/h2>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>In a letter sent last week to State University System Chancellor Ray Rodrigues, Levine questioned whether authority delegated to Hosseini under exceeded what state regulations allow. Consequently, Levine placed an indefinite hold on Bell\u2019s Board of Governors confirmation vote while his governance concerns were addressed.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>In his letter, Levine also said he was directing the Board of Governors\u2019 inspector general to review what he described as \u201ccertain allegations made involving real-estate and financial transactions\u201d involving Hosseini. An anonymous complaint to Levine \u2014 later circulated on X by \u201cCommiesOnCampus,\u201d an anonymously-run right-wing account which has relentlessly attacked Hosseini and Bell \u2014 had raised questions about UF projects that may drive profits toward Hosseini\u2019s real-estate holdings.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Conservative critics seized upon those allegations, accusing Hosseini of exerting outsized influence over UF\u2019s presidential search process and questioning whether trustees had exercised independent judgment in selecting Bell.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>During Monday\u2019s meeting trustees forcefully pushed back on the suggestion that there were governance improprieties.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=2178\">Man arrested in Miami Gardens cold-case killing of teen, police say<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Vice Chair Rahul Patel cited an opinion from Attorney General James Uthmeier\u2019s office, in which outside law firm GrayRobinson concluded that UF\u2019s governance structure complies with state law.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>The opinion, provided to the Miami Herald by a UF spokesperson, also found that no Board of Governors member can direct an inspector general investigation and argued allegations against Hosseini stemmed from what the firm described as a \u201cconcerted and excessively hostile social media campaign\u201d targeting Bell\u2019s candidacy.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Trustees repeatedly defended Hosseini, a prominent Republican donor, ally of Gov. Ron DeSantis and longtime power player in Florida higher education. Hosseini previously chaired the Board of Governors, helped champion the state\u2019s performance-based funding and preeminence models, and is now eight years into his term as chairman of the UF\u2019s board.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is no one who has more integrity and is harder working than you are,\u201d trustee Marsha Powers told Hosseini. \u201cI\u2019m just completely disappointed that these allegations, that anonymous allegations, can be taken seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Trustee Richard Cole said the controversy threatened fundraising efforts and prolonged uncertainty after nearly two years without a permanent president.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI find it completely offensive that they would think that the trustees have not done their job,\u201d Cole said. \u201cTo think that you trustees would not oversee what we have agreed to oversee is insulting.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Hosseini, making his first public comments on the controversy, rejected accusations that he had improperly influenced university affairs.<\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cMori Hosseini has not done anything wrong,\u201d he said. \u201cNothing. Zero.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>Hosseini also dismissed criticism from online activists who have targeted both him and Bell during the presidential search process. Later in the meeting, while praising UF faculty and researchers, he took a swipe at critics on social media.<\/p>\n<p><!-- --><!--]--><!--[--><\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll those people on Twitter in a basement, your tweets are not going to change people\u2019s lives,\u201d Hosseini said.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/floridamovingchronicle.com\/?p=2177\">South Florida woman turns ALS diagnosis into mission to inspire others to fight<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!--]--><!--]--><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><!-- --><\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trustees rally behind Mori Hosseini as Stuart Bell is named interim Univeristy of Florida president; state leaders seek compromise.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2181,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2182","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - 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