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S2516FLORIDA · STATEWIDESession 2026 Fifth Special SessionIntroduced

Changes to Florida Nursing Education and Grant Programs

Original title: S2516: Higher Education

May 7, 2026

Companion · HB 5601same policy, House version Companion · HB 5601same policy, House version

Higher Education Nursing Health Science Florida Education Funding

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Where This Stands

Introduced

Committee

Floor Vote

Passed

Signed

Currently Introduced. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Committee.

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

View official text →

The Frame

What this does

Students in health science programs may see changes to their out-of-pocket tuition costs, while educational institutions must now report grant usage directly to the new center rather than state-level education boards.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Nursing and health science students

Students may receive fee waivers for out-of-pocket tuition costs after other aid is applied.

Educational institutions

Institutions receiving grant funds must change their reporting procedures to submit annual reports to the Florida Center for Nursing.

What changed

Current stage: Introduced.

What's next

Committee.

Summary

This bill establishes the Florida Center for Nursing at the University of South Florida and updates how health science students receive tuition s and grant reporting. It also expands the scope of the to include health science professions beyond nursing.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where will the new Florida Center for Nursing be located?

The center will be established within the University of South Florida.

How does the fee waiver work for students?

The waiver applies to a student's out-of-pocket expenses for tuition and fees only after all other financial aid has been applied.

Who do institutions report their grant funds to under this bill?

Institutions must submit their annual reports to the Florida Center for Nursing, replacing the previous requirement to report to the or the Department of Education.

Why It Matters

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift90% confidence

Centralization of Grant Reporting

The bill shifts reporting requirements for health science grants from broad state boards to a specific, newly created center at the University of South Florida.

Florida Center for Nursing Board of Governors Department of Education

Connected Entities

organizationFlorida Center for Nursing“New center established within the University of South Florida.”Map →

organizationBoard of Governors“Previous recipient of grant reports.”Map →

organizationDepartment of Education“Recipient of data from the Office of Reimagining Education and Career Help.”Map →

locationUniversity of South Florida“Host institution for the new Florida Center for Nursing.”Map →

otherLINE Fund“Fund for health science and nursing profession shortages.”Map →

organizationOffice of Reimagining Education and Career Help“Required to provide data to the department.”Map →

personGayle Harrell“Senator and bill sponsor.”Map →

Sources

Open source document

legiscan.com

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance65
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy20
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment5
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz30
Current news / social attention level

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