November Newsletter

Special Session & Legislative Committee Meetings in Tallahassee This week lawmakers are meeting in Tallahassee for a Special Session called by Gov. DeSantis where they will debate COVID-19 vaccine mandates and other related issues. In the past month, Board of Trustees Vice Chair, Mike Griffin and President Rhea Law traveled to Tallahassee where they met with our State Legislative leaders including Speaker of the House and USF alum, Chris Sprowls. In Tallahassee, Vice Chair Griffin and President Law discussed our legislative priorities including our top ranked construction project which is the Environmental & Oceanographic Sciences Research & Teaching Facility on the USF St. Petersburg campus. This new facility will build upon the world-class reputation of the USF College of Marine Science and connect multiple schools and colleges across USF to address the challenges of coastal resiliency, sustainability and economic vitality. The USF St. Petersburg campus is an ideal location for this new facility because it is home to other marine science partners that comprise the largest hub of ocean expertise in the Southeast. We are excited about working with the members of the Tampa Bay Area Legislative Delegation to provide funding for this transformative facility.

Speaker of the Florida House Chris Sprowls and USF President Rhea Law

Rendering of the USF Environmental & Oceanographic Sciences Research and Teaching Facility

Tampa Bay Area Delegation Spotlight on State Representative Chris Latvala

We are delighted to be highlighting Tampa Bay Area Legislative Delegation member and State Representative Chris Latvala!   Rep. Latvala is a Dunedin native, attended UCF, and after graduation moved back to Pinellas County, where he has resided and worked for the past 13 years. In that time Rep. Latvala has made a substantial impact on the lives of Floridians, and in particular in Pinellas County and throughout the Tampa Bay region. He has been a strong advocate for PreK-12 teachers, increasing opportunities to access education at all levels, protection for minors, an advocate for law enforcement, and vocal about the rights of mobile homeowners. Among his many accomplishments in Tallahassee, some highlights include an unprecedented raise for teachers in 2020, and legislation that was long fought for to enhance the child welfare system in Florida.   Rep. Latvala currently serves as the Chair of the House Education & Employment Committee. He has been a longstanding champion for USF throughout his time in the legislature and recently sponsored and passed a ceremonial resolution recognizing the USF Women's Basketball team on winning the 2021 American Athletic Conference Tournament Championship.

USF Bulls Advocates would like to extend a thank you to the Tampa City Council for recognizing USF Softball Coach Eriksen with a special commendation Coach Ken Eriksen was issued a commendation as the City of Tampa recognized him for guiding USA Softball to a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics, the first time that softball played on the Olympic stage since 2008. City Councilman Bill Carlson was the prime sponsor of the commendation, which passed unanimously. Councilman Carlson is pictured below along with Coach Eriksen, USF AD Michael Kelly, Former USF President Betty Castor, and other supporters. To read more about Coach Erisken's commendation, click here.

USF News: Tech CEOs credit USF talent pipeline for decisions to expand and relocate to Tampa Bay Ralph Wilcox to step down as University of South Florida provost Partnership between USF and Tampa Bay Wave aims to make region major fintech hub with new St. Petersburg-based accelerator Small, minority-owned construction businesses get boost from USF

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