It appears that Gov. Ron DeSantis is pushing hard for Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez as the next president of Florida International University (FIU). One source close to the Executive Office in Tallahassee and two sources within the university told The Floridian that Lt. Gov. Nuñez's selection "is imminent."
The ultimate decision to pick the president of the school is made by the board of trustees.
Considering that she is an alumnus of the school, and just a few years ago gave the commencement speech at the school, Nuñez becoming president appears to be a natural fit. Lt. Gov. Nuñez has also been very loyal to Gov. DeSantis.
The Miami Herald first reported that Nuñez was on the shortlist, but one source close to the executive office says the decision to make her the next president of the school was all but etched in stone. The source adds that that decision could come any day.
“Everything I heard and everything that’s been indicated is she is” going to be the next FIU president, said a person familiar with the process to the Herald. “I’ve heard from multiple people that they are organizing a search committee so that she is ultimately selected as the replacement. I think it’s in the near future.”
Nuñez being chosen to succeed interim President Kenneth Jessell, who was unanimously picked by replace former FIU President Mark Rosenberg after he resigned in 2022 over allegations that he sexually harassed a staffer, could be seen as a "wartime decision," said one of the sources.
With Gov. DeSantis at odds with Republican leadership in the State Legislature, could "America's Governor" look to replace Nuñez with someone that he could use as a political battering ram against disgruntled Republican lawmakers?
A name that is being floated around as a possible replacement for Nuñez is former Florida Speaker of the House Jose Oliva, who is considered a strong ally of DeSantis and who also hails from Miami-Dade County.
The bitter and recently concluded special session on illegal immigration gave Floridians a glimpse of what was to come in the 2025 legislative session.
While DeSantis still has significant influence around the state, frustrated Republican lawmakers in Tallahassee have begun to openly express their frustrations with him. For several years, lawmakers quietly shared their frustrations for fear of political retribution, but it appears that they are no longer staying silent now that DeSantis is in his final two years of his term in office.
Oliva, or someone like him, could be the reinforcement DeSantis needs as his governorship sunsets and helps him finish strong looking on to the 2028 presidential cycle.
