On eve of final vote, Rick Scott, Jimmy Patronis latest to oppose Santa Ono as UF Prez

Tallahassee alums who have become elected federal officials don’t believe in Santa Ono as a potential president of Florida’s flagship University, and continue to speak out as Florida’s Governor refuses to take a hard stand against the historically liberal academic.

On social media Monday, Sen. Rick Scott and U.S. Rep. Jimmy Patronis joined a chorus of critics of the University of Michigan’s President, who is the subject of a hiring decision by the University of Florida Board of Trustees, ahead of the Board of Governors’ vote on the nomination Tuesday.

Scott, the immediate predecessor of Ron DeSantis as Governor, suggests that the academic tolerates antisemitism in the academy.

“I have serious concerns about Santa Ono’s nomination to be the president of the University of Florida, and every single member of the Florida Board of Governors should be demanding answers right now,” the Senator said.

“UF is a world-renowned institution and our state’s flagship university that has set a gold standard for fighting antisemitism and protecting Jewish students, and its leadership must follow suit. Clearly, Ono has a concerning record from his time at the University of Michigan, where he allowed an illegal, pro-terrorist encampment to take over the campus for nearly a month, putting Jewish students in danger and failing to uphold even the most basic standards of leadership,” Scott claimed.

“He also has a record of embracing divisive and radical DEI policies, showing he is willing to appease and prioritize far-left activists over ensuring students are protected and receive a quality education. At a time of rising antisemitism across the country and the world, UF needs and deserves a president who will stand strong against hate, antisemitism and divisive policies, and stand with our Jewish students. Any potential president at the school must fully commit to doing so – publicly and proactively.”

Scott wants to know how Ono would combat antisemitism.

In a recent Board meeting, Ono responded to the criticism: “I understand that a few individuals have circulated older statements or videos of me, regarding DEI programs at the University of Michigan and the University of British Columbia. I understand why some past statements have raised questions. In hindsight, I see those moments differently, too. What matters most is not what was said then, but what I’ve done since — and what I am committed to doing here.”

Nevertheless, Rep. Patronis has heard enough.

“There’s too much smoke with Santa Ono. We need a leader, not a DEI acolyte. Leave the Ann Arbor thinking in Ann Arbor.”

DeSantis, who is very close to UF Board of Trustees Chair Mori Hosseini, says the trustees believe Ono has “really kind of reached the limit on the campus leftism, and he would want to leave Michigan, where that is prevalent, to Florida, where it’s frowned upon, because he wants to be more in line with what Florida is doing and our policies.”

Hosseini has been the most outspoken defender of Ono, calling him “precisely the right person to be president of the University of Florida at this moment in its history.”

But despite Hosseini’s outsized political influence, Republicans are teeing off on the pick.

Gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds wants trustees to “restart the search process.” And Donald Trump, Jr. calls Ono a “woke psycho.”