Peggy Gossett-Seidman revives bill to curb partisan politics on Florida campuses

Highland Beach Republican Rep. Peggy Gossett-Seidman isn’t giving up on trying to ensure that when there’s political activity at colleges and universities, it isn’t unfairly tilted toward any specific party.

She just refiled legislation (HB 49) that would set new boundaries for what can and can’t be done, politically, on school campuses.

In its current form, the bill encompasses almost all levels of public education, from schools with kindergarten classes to those offering postgraduate and doctoral degrees.

Gossett-Seidman said a to-be-filed amendment will nix all K-12 considerations, limiting HB 49’s effects to higher education, while expanding its scope to include private institutions.

The goal, she said, is to achieve political parity in spaces that have long been misused for partisan advantage.

“It’s about fairness and equality, which the state and federal statutes call for very clearly. It’s just doing the right thing to keep everyone straight, so that we do not have any group left out, no matter which group,” she said.

“When I did a deep dive, I found that this problem is occurring on many campuses throughout the state, and it puts schools in peril of losing funding. So, we researched heavily and drafted the bill. Everything should be nonpartisan.”

The legislation, to which Fort Myers Republican Sen. Jonathan Martin is filing an upper-chamber companion, would ban the posting and distribution of campaign signs and literature at colleges and universities.

It would also prohibit on-campus campaigning for or with specific candidates, activities that imply a school’s endorsement of a candidate, collecting campaign contributions and voter registration events involving candidates or political parties.

Candidate-focused forums or events would only be permissible if all qualified candidates were invited to participate in them. However, they may still be individually invited to speak in their personal capacities, without discussing campaigns or political issues.

Student newspapers would still be able to publish partisan editorials and endorsements, but they’d have to carry disclaimers stating that the opinions are solely those of the author.

The measure would also bar faculty and staff from using their school emails, offices or working hours for political advocacy.

Under HB 49, violating any of these restrictions would be a second-degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to 60 days in jail and a fine of up to $500. Each violation would count as a separate offense.

Asked whether HB 49 would limit the activities of technically nonpartisan groups, such as Democrat-inclined Florida Future Leaders or Republican-aligned Turning Point USA, Gossett-Seidman said no, provided they adhere to the rules.

If a group registers as nonpartisan, she said, it must conduct itself in a nonpartisan fashion, pursuing activities and holding events without preference for a political party or candidate in a given race. And vitally, if they register students to vote, they couldn’t put their proverbial thumbs on the scale.

“So, if (someone like late Turning Point USA founder) Charlie Kirk wanted to register only Republicans or only MAGA voters, if his PAC is nonpartisan, that would not be allowed. He would have to register — obviously, Turning Point USA — anyone for any political persuasion,” Gossett-Seidman said. “But if you’re a candidate and you’re in an election cycle and you’re appearing on these campuses, registering people for your party, that is strictly prohibited, as is using state emails, state property — tables, chairs, halls — and this has been going on for some time at our colleges throughout the state.”

On Friday, U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds — a Republican front-runner in the 2026 race for Governor — confirmed during an interview that he and Kirk were planning a college tour before a shooter murdered Kirk at a speaking stop at a Utah campus on Sept. 10. Gossett-Seidman said such a tour would be still be legal under HB 49, but it’s “a very fine line.”

“If Byron wants to come in and talk about EVs (electric vehicles) on the highway because he has an issue with them, that’s fine, but if he wants to come in and talk about how he wants (impose restrictions) to stop EVs from having lanes on the highway, that’s different,” she said. “We’ve had people, when they announce their candidacy, put staff at universities, and then they use their staff positions to promote their candidacy. It’s gotten to the point where it’s that egregious, and that’s where we’re looking to rein some of these practices in.”

HB 49 is essentially a copy of legislation (SB 1250, HB 1233) that Gossett-Seidman and Martin carried during the 2025 Legislative Session. Both the Senate and House versions of the bill died without a hearing.

If passed, HB 49 would go into effect on July 1, 2026.

The 2026 Legislative Session begins Jan. 13. Interim Committee meetings are set for the week of Oct. 6.