DeSantis vetoes Daytona flooding, DSC funds but Bethune-Cookman’s $17 million remains

Bethune-Cookman University officials can breathe a deep sigh of relief.

Coronavirus-ravaged state revenues left Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday to veto more than $1 billion from the $93.2 billion budget handed to him by the Legislature. And while B-CU lost money for a couple of smaller projects, a $33 million boost for the state’s three private historically black colleges and universities remains.

B-CU is positioned to get $17 million of that, including $13 million in new, recurring money, which will help the Daytona Beach school and its president, Brent Chrite, navigate a series of legal, financial and accreditation challenges.

“We greatly appreciate the state’s generous support of Bethune-Cookman University through this recurring budget line. Moreover, such a commitment, particularly at this unique time in the state’s history, represents a powerful affirmation of the historic and critical role this university continues to assume in developing Florida’s human capital,” Chrite said in a prepared statement. “Our job now is to effectively and transparently steward these resources in order to improve and sustain the vitality, competitiveness and impact of B-CU for another 116 years.”

Belvin Perry, the university’s board chairman, thanked the governor and lawmakers who helped deliver the funding for B-CU, Florida Memorial University and Edward Waters College.

“These three institutions are to the state of Florida in making sure that people of color have access to a first-class education,” Perry said.

The governor did eliminate $75,000 for a B-CU small, women and minority-owned businesses program, as well as $164,701 for the Black Male Explorers program.

Daytona State College’s plans to expand its nursing program to its Flagler/Palm Coast campus have been delayed, as DeSantis cut a $895,000 allocation that would have supplied DSC with one year’s faculty salaries and equipment.

“We’re all on the same team and we have to do our part to help out the state budget,” DSC President Tom LoBasso said. “We are moving forward with renovating the space and are going to try to seek some other sources of funding.”

Here are some of the other Volusia and Flagler county projects DeSantis nixed:

$200,000, Daytona Beach flood mitigation project. Money was to have gone for an Army Corps of Engineers study of Nova Canal flooding.

$900,000, Flagler Beach wastewater treatment plant improvements.

$200,000, Flagler County flooding and environmental mitigation water control project for the western part of the county.

$125,000, New Smyrna Beach septic to sewer feasibility study.

$200,000, Oak Hill septic to sewer retrofit project.

$125,000, Ponce Inlet septic to sewer.

$250,000, Port Orange Howes Street drainage improvements.

$500,000, Volusia County Ariel Canal water quality improvements, part of the Mosquito Lagoon Reasonable Assurance Plan sponsored by Edgewater, New Smyrna Beach and Oak Hill, as well as the county and the Florida Department of Transportation.

$500,000, Deltona intersection improvement at Normandy and Providence boulevards.

$125,000, Deltona Business Center. Money would have been used to purchase multimedia equipment for the center.