POLITICS
RANDY FINE FILES BILL CUTTING $45M FOR ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
Tallahassee, FL – Senator Randy Fine (R-Melbourne Beach) filed SB 90 to repeal a 2014 state law offering illegal immigrants heavily subsidized in-state tuition rates at Florida’s 12 state universities and 28 state colleges. In 2021, the State of Florida reported the subsidy cost taxpayers $45 million.
“President Trump has made clear it is time to close the border and stop giving illegal immigrants rewards for breaking the law,” said Fine. “While blue-collar Floridians are struggling to make ends meet, it is not fair to require them to pay $45 million a year to subsidize sweetheart deals for college degrees to those who should not even be here.”
Students from the other 49 states and Puerto Rico pay full price to attend Florida’s top-rated colleges and universities, nearly three times the subsidized Florida resident rates. The average cost for in-state tuition for the 2024-2025 school year is $6,143, according to the State University System of Florida.
The University of Florida, for example, charges $6,381 for in-state tuition versus $28,658 for out-of-state, according to US News & World Report.
“This is a no-brainer way to reduce the size of government and free up resources to help Floridians in need. We must put Floridians first, and I am proud to do my part to rebalance the scales for our citizens,” said Fine.
A 2021 American Community Survey assessed by the American Immigration Council revealed that 408,000 illegal immigrants attend college in the United States. Florida is ranked third behind Texas and New Jersey for the number of illegal aliens attending colleges or universities here.
SB 90 would not modify the admission policies of Florida’s state colleges and universities; it would simply eliminate the subsidized rate that was written into state law in 2014.
