Florida public universities spent $15 million of taxpayer dollars on CRT, diversity initiatives: report

The State University System of Florida (SUSF) spent $28 million on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) or Critical Race Theory (CRT) programs in the 2022-2023 school year, according to a report obtained by the University of Florida student newspaper.

Over 50 percent of the money spent on the initiatives across the Florida university system was taxpayer funded. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis notified the state's colleges and universities on December 28 that they had until January 13 to report any spending on DEI and CRT initiatives and classes. 

The University of South Florida (USF) spent the most at $8.6 million, while the University of Florida (UF) spent the second most at 5.3 million, according to the report. The University of Central Florida (UCF) has the state's largest enrollment at 70,000 students and spent almost $4.48 million of its budget on DEI and CRT, with over 50 percent coming from taxpayers.