The Florida Board of Governors rejected Santa Ono as UF’s next president in a 10-6 vote.
Board members drilled Ono on his record through an over three-hour-long meeting, including his statements and actions in support of race-based hiring, holistic admissions, DEI and climate activism.
There were moments where governors disagreed with each other, with some staunchly skeptical of Ono’s current beliefs and others praising his willingness to learn from his experiences and his shift toward conservative values.
The board’s decision to reject Ono leaves UF’s presidential search in disarray. The Presidential Search Advisory Committee will have to decide upon a new candidate. The UF Board of Trustees will need to vote once again on a new candidate.
The length of the new process is unclear, though the committee has already interviewed other viable candidates during the search that ultimately produced Ono as the sole finalist.
Contact Avery Parker at aparker@alligator.org. Follow him on X @AveryParke98398.
Avery Parker is an English and History senior and the Spring 2026 El Caimán editor for The Alligator. He previously worked as The Alligator's University desk editor, as well as a reporter for the University and Enterprise desks. He doesn't know the meaning of the word "freetime," but he can usually be found deep in an archive reading 19th century documents or tending to his four cats.
