State Sen. Evelyn Lynn, chairwoman of the Higher Education Appropriations Committee, relinquished pay for her post at Florida State University on Monday.
After media outlets picked up on her $2,300-a-week position, Lynn, R-Ormond Beach, wrote to FSU President T.K. Wetherell that the recent publicity was a distraction from her mission at FSU.
She requested that her current status of unpaid leave of absence be extended until the end of her contract.
"Though I do not wish to be paid, it is my intention to fulfill my Director responsibilities as a volunteer without pay," she wrote.
FSU hired Lynn in September to oversee its outreach reading center in Daytona Beach.
The position was meant to last less than a year, and she's been on an unpaid leave since the beginning of March for the legislative session.
Lynn could not be reached for comment.
Lynn's role as chairwoman of the Higher Education Appropriations Committee, which holds considerable influence over FSU's budget, raised ethical questions at a time when the Legislature is determining each state university's budget.
She was also involved in creating and securing $1 million in funding for the outreach reading center that she was hired to lead.
UF faced a similar controversy this year after state Sen. Mike Haridopolos, R-Indialantic, was hired as a lecturer in UF's Department of Political Science and a coordinator of internships in the Bob Graham Center for Public Service.
UF is paying Haridopolos about $75,000 a year.
