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New College trustees approve temporary housing purchase order with USF Sarasota-Manatee
Summary
The New College of Florida Board of Trustees approved a purchase order to secure 100–140 temporary student beds from the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee, funded from the college's housing support line within ENG funding; trustees voted to approve the item by roll call.
The New College of Florida Board of Trustees on Tuesday approved a purchase order to secure temporary student housing from the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee to add roughly 100 to 140 beds, a measure board members said is intended to address an ongoing student housing shortage.
The action, moved by Trustee Karp and seconded by Trustee Spalding, covers an amount over the president's $1,500,000 threshold and was described by staff as payable from the college's housing support line within ENG funding. The motion passed on a roll-call vote.
The vote followed public comment and trustee questions about cost, capacity and timing. Public commenters raised concerns about housing impacts on students and on the master plan process. Karen Stack, a resident who spoke during the public-comment period, said, “Ignore the barking dogs,” urging the board not to silence community concerns. Peter Schallhorn, a public commenter, cautioned that the college’s draft master plan — which projects enrollment growth from about 861 to a target of 1,800 students — would trigger a local rule that prevents amending a master plan that increases campus density or intensity by more than 10% without a complex review process. Schallhorn said, “By code, the master plan cannot be simply amended if the plan will increase the density or intensity of use of land on the campus by more than 10%. This rule triggers a complex process in which many affected entities must weigh in.”
During discussion, trustees and staff sought clarity about how payment would be handled and who would be housed. A staff member said the amount would be paid from the college’s housing support line out of ENG funding and that the legislature allowed flexibility to fund housing support, including hotel costs. The staff member also said that the MOU with USF reflects rates “paid by USF students” and that New College subsidizes the difference because USF housing rates are higher than what some New College students currently pay.
Trustees asked about students on the wait list. Staff confirmed that 29 students on the wait list would be accommodated and that those students would be informed of their housing assignments soon. Trustees also reviewed current bed counts discussed in the meeting: roughly 402 students on campus, about 133 in a local hotel (Home2Suites), and additional housing through the USF arrangement.
The board’s action authorizes the administration to finalize and execute the MOU and related documents, and trustees accepted a request for minor flexibility in case numbers change slightly as implementation proceeds. The board scheduled a separate special meeting at 6 p.m. to continue with a public hearing on the campus master plan update.
Votes at a glance: the motion to approve the student temporary housing purchase order passed by roll call; the trustees present recorded the motion as passing.
