Free College Tuition For Florida Kids Floated By Lawmaker

TALLAHASSEE, FL — Florida families seeking ways to fund their children’s college educations may find the state picking up the tab if one lawmaker gets his way. Under a bill filed in the Florida House of Representatives earlier this week, students across the state could gain access to free tuition with a few caveats.

Rep. Shevrin D. “Shev” Jones’ “Sunshine Scholarship Program” bill would provide tuition for up to four years for students whose families earn $125,000 or less. Students must be considered Florida residents for tuition purposes and they must be enrolled in and accepted by a school in the Florida College System. The tuition offer would not cover books, fees and other related expenses. To keep the funding flowing, students must maintain a 2.5 grade point average or higher and they must enroll in at least 30 credit hours per academic year. (For more local news from Florida, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Tampa Patch. Click here to find your local Florida Patch. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

The catch in Jones’ idea comes in after students graduate. In order for a student to receive the scholarship money in the free and clear, a graduate would be obligated to “reside and work within the state for the same period of time he or she received funds from the program,” the bill states. The work and residency requirements do not apply if a student joins the military.

Students who choose to leave the state after graduation would be required to repay the total amount given to them by the state. Interest rates equal to federal student loan rates would also apply.

If the bill makes it through the House and Florida Senate and earns a signature from Gov. Rick Scott, it would go into effect on July 1, 2018. Funding would come from the state’s general funds. A Senate companion bill has yet to be filed.

Jones, the ranking Democrat on the House’s education committee, was not available for comment on Wednesday.

To check out the full bill, visit the Florida House of Representatives online.

Patch file photo