April 28: Courts Should Decide Florida Tuition Responsibility

By Sylvia Gurinsky

Former U.S. Sen. Bob Graham is doing what he does best - methodically working the system.

In this case, it's with a lawsuit to try to take all responsibility for setting college tuition away from the Florida Legislature, which took it away from the Board of Governors, which should have it.

A decade ago, Graham helped lead the citizen intitiative that created the board after the Legislature, with the blessings of then-Gov. Jeb Bush, eliminated Florida's Board of Regents, which had overseen the state university system for many years.

Since the Board of Governors was created, the legislature has done all it can to strip its powers - though it's given the board some power-sharing, which removed the board from being one of those involved as a plaintiff in this case. Bill Kaczor of the Associated Press reported this on Monday:

http://www.nwfdailynews.com/news/tuition-28367-board-legislature.html

Graham and company are continuing with the lawsuit. Good.

The third branch of state government - its court system - should decide once and for all who has the power to set tuition for students. The feeling in this corner is that it shouldn't be the hyper-political Florida Legislature.