TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Legal Newsline) - The rules for awarding tenure at the heart of a Florida lawsuit by professors upset with changes.
Sarah Hernandez, Steven J. Willis and Adriana Novoa sued the Board of Governors of the State University System of Florida, Paul Renner in his official capacity as Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, and Kathleen Passidomo in her official capacity as President of the Florida Senate, on July 30 in Leon County Circuit Court.
The lawsuit challenges Chapter 2023-82 Laws of Florida, which mandates post-tenure reviews every five years for tenured faculty members and alters the tenure review process.
The plaintiffs argue that these legislative changes infringe upon the constitutional authority of the Board of Governors to manage tenure policies within Florida's state university system. They seek declaratory relief to invalidate the law on grounds that it violates Article IX § 7 of the Florida Constitution.
Gary Edinger of Benjamin, Aaronson, Edinger & Patanzo represents the plaintiff.