Following statewide budget cuts, UF canceled its annual lobbying day, known as Gator Day, at the Capitol.
UF representatives and celebrity alumni - such as former UF quarterback Danny Wuerffel and home-improvement expert Bob Vila - usually spend a day in the spring in Tallahassee touting UF's achievements and discussing UF's needs with legislators, UF spokesman Steve Orlando said.
Florida State University has also canceled its FSU Day activities, and other state universities are considering scaling back their programs as well.
Orlando said UF's celebration was nixed last month because it seemed to send the wrong message in a time of tight budget constraints.
"It does cost money to do this, and there are things that we could be spending that money on instead," he said.
He said the cost varies each year, but it's usually around $10,000 or more.
Orlando said UF would still be active in Tallahassee and communicate with legislators through its Office of Government Relations.
Browning Brooks, FSU spokeswoman, said FSU canceled its event for similar reasons. Brooks said FSU Day costs $10,000 to $12,000 in private money.
Ken Gullette, University of South Florida spokesman, said USF wouldn't cancel USF Day because there are too many important issues to discuss.
However, this year's event will be scaled back, Gullette said.
The University of Central Florida doesn't host a day devoted to lobbying, said UCF spokesman Dan Holsenbeck.
Instead, Holsenbeck said UCF usually joins the Orlando Chamber of Commerce's lobbying day. He said UCF would cut back from its participation in the chamber's activities this year because of budget cuts.
Orlando said UF doesn't have any plans to compensate for canceling of Gator Day, and he's not sure how the cancellation will impact UF.
"Hopefully they'll remember the message about what our legislative priorities are and how important they are," he said of legislators and UF supporters.
