Politics

Jacksonville University President Tim Cost to leave top slot, but remain as Chancellor

Published

2 months ago

October 21, 2025

Jacksonville University President Tim Cost will step down from the top slot at the private college on the First Coast next year, but will remain heavily involved in the institution.

JU announced that Cost has agreed to leave the presidency and become Chancellor of the school in the Summer. Cost took over as President of JU 14 years ago

An alum who was a JU Dolphin baseball player and standout pitcher when he attended the school more than four decades ago, Cost left an executive position with PepsiCo and took the helm at the campus on the banks of the St. Johns River in Northeast Florida.

“President Cost’s exemplary leadership over the past 14 years has transformed our university in remarkable ways,” said Jacksonville University Board of Trustees Chair John Miller.

“Under his guidance, we’ve enjoyed growth in undergraduate and graduate enrollment, developed countless strategic partnerships in and outside of our community, and elevated our profile both in the region and beyond. The Board is grateful for his extraordinary commitment as President and his dedication to students, and we are confident he will help further advance our mission and expand our impact as Chancellor.”

A JU news release said Cost had reached an agreement with the Board of Trustees in 2022 that stated he would transition into the Chancellor role and largely focus on fundraising, alumni, community and government relations when he left the presidency.

But despite that agreement, Cost and JU ran into financial difficulties in the Spring. The university was forced to make a 10% faculty cut and eliminate several academic programs as Cost and the school engaged in financial restructuring.

The financial developments and hits to faculty and curriculum sparked student protests on the campus that has about 4,000 students. Many faculty members also expressed heavy criticism. Still, the Board of Trustees stood behind Cost and agreed with his proposals to right the financial ship.

The university plans an extensive search process before selecting the next President of the 91-year-old school.

“It has been a privilege and an honor to serve as President,” Cost said. “This is a unique, thriving campus with vibrant students and faculty, and we are proud to have been of service to this great community. The senior executive talent here is deep and ready, and the time is right to transition to Chancellor.”

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Politics

House expands paid parental leave for employees, Daniel Perez says

Published

1 hour ago

December 8, 2025

May Greene

The policy expansion is retroactive through November 2024.

The House is expanding its paid parental leave policy when employees have a baby or adopt a child, House Speaker Daniel Perez announced.

The policy takes effect immediately and applies retroactively for parents who took leave from Nov. 19, 2024, onward.

Going forward, full-time salaried employees will get up to seven consecutive weeks of paid parental leave for maternity leave after childbirth.

The House will also offer mothers and fathers paid care and bonding leave for up to two weeks within one year after a child’s birth or adoption. The care and bonding leave “may be granted on an intermittent basis” and can’t be taken during the 60-day Legislative Session. It requires supervisor approval as well, Perez’s memo said.

It’s an expansion from the current policy, which Perez explained in the memo.

“As has been the policy of the House, an employee who is the father or mother of a natural born or adopted child will continue to be granted parental leave for a period not to exceed three months total,” Perez’s memo said.

“The employee may include in the request for parental leave one or all of the following types of leave: (new) paid parental leave when allowable; up to 240 hours of accrued sick leave; annual leave; compensatory leave; personal holiday; and leave without pay.”

To help retroactively, the House Office of Administration and Professional Development will be contacting employees to talk about their situations.

The majority of Americans don’t get paid time off for childbirth, according to a 2019 Kaiser Foundation study.

A few major employers in Florida are offering the benefit to new parents.

Publix, for instance, began offering full- and part-time employees paid parental leave in 2022.

“We frequently review our benefits to continually offer a comprehensive package to our associates,” Publix spokesperson Maria Brous told Florida Politics at the time the policy was unveiled.

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Politics

Ben Albritton on the future of property tax proposals in the Senate: ‘We’re still measuring’

Published

2 hours ago

December 8, 2025

May Greene

With eight proposals on eliminating or cutting property taxes moving through the House and Gov. Ron DeSantis maintaining that none go far enough, many are looking more and more to the Senate for signs of what, if any, change could be coming.

As he’s done in months past, Senate President Ben Albritton is advocating for a cautious, unhurried approach.

“Honest to goodness, we’re still measuring,” Albritton told reporters Monday. “We’ve looked at the House proposals, and every one of those has a certain amount of cost to it and a certain amount of impact to Floridians.”

Albritton said that while the Senate is committed to delivering financial relief to Floridians in the form of property tax cuts or rollbacks, he and others in the chamber are cognizant that many core services at the local level stand to be adversely affected if it’s done carelessly.

“Every Floridian … depends on the fact that if they call 911, somebody comes to their place, somebody comes to help them,” he said. “We’ve got to be thoughtful about that.”

Asked whether the Governor has unilateral authority to redistribute funds derived from well-to-do counties like Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Orange to 29 fiscally constrained, mostly rural counties — as DeSantis has proposed doing — Albritton’s answer was more definitive: “No.”

“The Florida Legislature (is) given the power to appropriate. The Governor is certainly the chief executive. He has the ability to veto or be supportive. He has, I would say, the ability and the opportunity to be able to share perspective in his budget request and when he lays out the budget,” he said.

“The opportunity to backfill lies in the Legislature.”

On the idea of cash-strapped counties asking the state for funding annually that they’d otherwise generate locally, Albritton said it’s “certainly a concern.”

“Do I love the idea? Of course not,” he said. “But I (believe) affordability is a challenge, and providing some relief in the property tax space is a great way to do that, and especially for (homesteaded) Floridians … that’s great.”

Albritton pushed back on the idea that eliminating property taxes would lead to a “gold rush” of wealthy transplants to the Sunshine State, stressing that he is “optimistic” about the prospect despite its potentially negative effects.

“But it’s not that simple,” he said. “And that’s one of the things that I’m finding in that here again: Don’t take down a fence until you know why it was put up.”

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Politics

Florida ranks fourth-most deadly state for road travel during Christmastime

Published

2 hours ago

December 8, 2025

May Greene

5 of the 10 most dangerous states were in the Southeast.

In a place known for warm Winter getaways, Florida’s highways deliver a chilling dose of danger near Christmas.

The Utah-based personal injury law firm of Steele Adams Hosman conducted a study of the most dangerous roads for travelers at Christmastime using National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data. The study ranked Florida as the fourth-most dangerous.

Looking at data spanning Dec. 21 to Dec. 28 between 2014 to 2023, the study found Florida recorded about 16.48 car-crash deaths per 1 million residents annually. That’s 54.62% higher than the average among U.S. states.

In total, 355 road fatalities were posted in Florida in that decade. In terms of raw numbers, that’s more than double than any state listed in the top 10 and more than triple most of those states. But Florida also has a much bigger population than any of those states.

“As we enter the busiest travel period of the year, drivers need to be especially mindful of safety,” said Justin Hosman, a partner at the Steele Adams Hosman firm. “Whether you’re traveling across the country or just across town, staying focused, driving sober, and eliminating distractions can help ensure everyone reaches their destination safely.”

Out of Florida’s fatalities on the road surrounding Christmas, 57.51% were drivers, which ranks 28th in the nation. Another 20.96% were pedestrians, landing Florida 15th in the nation in that respect.

The five most deadly states for road travel during the Christmas holiday were all in the Southeastern United States. Mississippi was at the top, followed by Louisiana in second, Alabama in third and South Carolina in fifth.

Southern states made up most of the top 10, with Georgia at No. 7, Arkansas at No. 9 and Oklahoma at No. 10.

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