DeSantis vetoes millions in FSU, FAMU projects from Florida budget

Millions of dollars worth of Florida State and Florida A&M universities' desired initiatives have been vetoed in the governor's final budget, including funds for the joint engineering school and FSU's College of Nursing.

A $117.6 billion state budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year that begins July 1 was signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis June 29 after the Florida Legislature approved it last month. While the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering's veto casualty came out to $2 million, FSU's nursing school had a $2.5 million project land on the governor's chopping block.

"This budget protects taxpayers' interests, cuts spending for the fourth year in a row and makes meaningful investments to build on Florida's successes in education, public safety, environmental conservation, infrastructure, cancer research and more," DeSantis said in a June 29 press release. Almost $1.6 billion in programs and projects were cut out of the spending plan this year.

The $2 million of FAMU-FSU College of Engineering funds that were vetoed include $1 million for "immunotherapy solutions for tumors in space environments," $500,000 for "cancer drug efficacy screening in microgravity" and $500,000 for "space medicine innovation ecosystem."

At the same time, the vetoed items come as the engineering school – which is the only joint school of its kind in the nation – will get $91.97 million for its plans for a Building C in this year's budget, which is the exact amount that was requested by the universities during the legislative session.

The windfall for the building initiative coincides with the school's longtime goal of becoming one of the top 50 engineering colleges in the nation within the next few years. It is currently ranked No. 89 in the 2026 U.S. News & World Report "Best Engineering Schools" rankings.

Despite the vetoed initiatives, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering Dean Suvranu De said he's grateful to the Florida Legislature and DeSantis for supporting the Building C request.

"Our college has grown significantly since our last building opened in the 1990s, adding new academic programs and welcoming more students than ever before," De said in a statement emailed to the Tallahassee Democrat. "Building C represents a transformative investment in our future, providing the classrooms, teaching laboratories, collaborative spaces and modern learning environment our students need to thrive. It will give our students the opportunity to learn by doing, the hallmark of an engineering education."

Regarding the $2.5 million for FSU's College of Nursing that DeSantis vetoed, it comes as the university continues seeking money to construct a state-of-the-art nursing facility for the school to "address the pressing need for an advanced educational facility and cutting-edge research space," according to a funding request.

It is expected to be equipped with modern classrooms, research laboratories and healthcare simulation spaces. In last year's budget, the nursing school project received $10 million toward the project.

In addition, this year's vetoed items also impact the financial aid of college students across the state as $125,000 for the Wilhelmina Foundation Academic Scholarship was placed on the veto list. The program was founded by veteran Tallahassee insider lobbyist and attorney Sean Pittman in honor of his mother, Wilhelmina Pittman, and it provides college textbook stipends to students in need. Pittman is heading the transition team for Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Jolly, who hopes to end decades of GOP rule in the 2026 election for DeSantis' replacement.

Despite the funding requests that were rejected, FAMU initiatives that were approved in the state budget – besides funds for the joint engineering school – include over $9 million for the university's Division of Research and $7 million for a new Chemical and Biological Research Laboratory Center.

At FSU, over $80 million in new funds for projects – including remodeling, renovation and construction initiatives – are a part of the state budget, including plans for a future Veterans Legacy Complex and planning money for a dental school. None of Tallahassee State College's funding requests were vetoed this year.

Here are the FSU and FAMU's initiatives – along with their amounts – that are on the 2026 veto list:

• FSU College of Nursing: $2.5 million
• FAMU-FSU College of Engineering Immunotherapy Solutions for Tumors in Space Environments: $1 million
• FSU Wakulla Springs Remediation Research and Education: $850,000
• The John and Mable Ringling Museum Hurricane Repair: $600,000
• FAMU-FSU College of Engineering Cancer Drug Efficacy Screening in Microgravity: $500,000
• FAMU-FSU College of Engineering Space Medicine Innovation Ecosystem: $500,000

View the full veto list

Tarah Jean is the higher education reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat, a member of the USA TODAY Network – Florida. She can be reached at tjean@tallahassee.com. Follow her on X: @tarahjean_.

This story was updated to add new information.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: DeSantis vetoes millions in FSU, FAMU projects from Florida budget

Reporting by Tarah Jean, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat

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This story was originally published June 30, 2026 at 12:19 PM.