DeSantis sues Biden administration over university accreditations linked to funding

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis announced a new state lawsuit filed on Thursday in Fort Lauderdale is meant to weaken the power that accrediting agencies have over the state’s public colleges and universities.

U.S. Department of Education funds used for grants and scholarships for students and faculty are impacted without the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accreditation.

“We reject the idea that a totally unaccountable, appointed, unelected accrediting agency can trump what the state of Florida is doing,” DeSantis told reporters in Tampa.

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody filed the lawsuit against officials of President Joe Biden’s administration, including Education Secretary Miguel Cardona.

DeSantis, who is campaigning for the Republican nomination for the 2024 presidential election, signed a new law allowing state colleges and universities to sue an accreditor in civil court.

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Andrea Torres

Andrea Torres

The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013. She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award.