In-state tuition for undocumented students could disappear in Florida. That’s if a Republican state lawmaker gets his way next session.
State Senator Randy Fine (R-Melbourne) is known for making waves in Florida politics, and he definitely did Monday morning. The firebrand Republican re-filed an effort to do away with in-state tuition for undocumented believing it’s unfair. That’s despite some potential high-ranking opposition from his own party.
Florida is third in the nation for undocumented higher education students. Census surveys estimate about 43,000 of them, according to the latest data.
Many are DACA recipients like Maria Tinoco. She recently graduated from FIU in mechanical engineering and told us last year how valuable her education was for her future.
“I feel like everybody has dreams, and I-- like we don't want to take anything away from anyone," said Tinoco. "We just want the opportunity to kind of like pursue and achieve those dreams just like anyone else.”
Tinoco told us Monday she was frustrated Florida's Dreamers might have a new hurdle before them. The state's current law saves thousands of students like her thousands of dollars each year, provided they've attended at least three years of high school in the state. SB 90 would unwind that 10-year precedent.
“It’s just not fair to tell someone from Georgia, who lives across the border, if they want to come to a Florida university, they have to pay three times as much as someone who came here illegally,” said Fine, who's sponsoring the legislation.
Fine’s bill is just two pages long and strikes out the provisions Florida lawmakers supported in 2014. The Senator said he’d save the state an estimated $45 million a year and believed the change would act as a disincentive for illegal immigration, despite critics' concerns.
“They are not Americans," said Fine. "The fact that their parents chose to human traffic them — the responsibility for that is not on the state. The responsibility for that is on their parents. One can argue what their parents did was child abuse.”
Opposition to the bill was already appearing. Democrats we spoke with said it was an instant no for them.
“Obviously, very against this," said Sen. Kristen Aston Arrington (D-Kissimmee). "From my four years in the House, we had many students that came up and shared their stories about how beneficial this has been to them and their families — so, definitely not in support, and of course, we’ll be fighting it.”
Some Republican resistance is likely, too. After all, the person behind in-state tuition for undocumented was Florida’s current Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez. She sponsored the 2014 legislation back when she was in the Florida House as a state representative.
“Let’s not hold these children responsible for actions that their parents took," said Nuñez (R-FL) during a committee meeting on the legislation in 2014. "Something they had no control over. Let’s allow for opportunities for all of Florida’s children.”
What happens next will likely be up to the legislative leaders and committee chairs, but Gov. Ron DeSantis listed the idea as one of his 2023 goals, though it failed to get across the finish line. Florida will find out next March if 2025 will be any different.
Sen. Fine is also running for Congress in Florida’s Sixth District, which has prompted some critics to say his legislation is a political move to garner support from Republicans. He's dismissed the claim, noting that he's filed the bill in a prior session. Fine is set to resign at the end of March, which is required under Florida law to secure a seat in Congress.
"He was just a very outstanding person."
Pat Carter, second cousin to Jimmy Carter, thinks back on her happy memories with the late president, including movie nights and lunches with special guests like the Pope.
