---
type: "Bill"
title: "Higher Education"
description: "Higher Education; Revising requirements for certain new construction, remodeling, or renovation projects; creating the “state universities of distinction” designation within the State University System; creating the Florida Institute of Politics within Florida State University College of Social Sciences and Public Policy; creating the Adam Smith Center for the Study of Economic Freedom; revising provisions relating to additional funds for textbooks under Florida Academic Scholars award, etc."
jurisdiction: "us/states/fl"
legislature: "Florida Legislature"
session: "2020"
identifier: "SB 72"
citation: "Florida SB 72 (2020)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: []
status: "enacted"
chapter_law: "2020-117"
primary_sponsors: ["Stargel"]
version_count: 4
action_count: 43
vote_count: 7
first_action: "2019-12-19"
last_action: "2020-06-30"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/4f081912-520b-4d89-83e4-372141880154"
source_url: "http://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2020/72/ByCategory"
source_hash: "a8f36c72418926cafe99e0ee49e75a38820360aaaee6a06af4258073fb816cab"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-fl"]
---

# Florida SB 72 (2020) — Higher Education

Higher Education; Revising requirements for certain new construction, remodeling, or renovation projects; creating the “state universities of distinction” designation within the State University System; creating the Florida Institute of Politics within Florida State University College of Social Sciences and Public Policy; creating the Adam Smith Center for the Study of Economic Freedom; revising provisions relating to additional funds for textbooks under Florida Academic Scholars award, etc.

**Enacted** — Laws of Florida, Chapter 2020-117.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **S 72 Filed** (filed) — [source](http://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2020/72/BillText/Filed/HTML)
2. **S 72 c1** (committee substitute) — [source](http://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2020/72/BillText/c1/HTML)
3. **S 72 e1** (engrossed) — [source](http://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2020/72/BillText/e1/HTML)
4. **S 72 er** (enrolled) — [source](http://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2020/72/BillText/er/HTML)

## Votes

- Passage, Third Reading — **117–0** (pass) · lower
- Favorable — **8–0** (pass) · upper
- Favorable with Committee Substitute — **20–0** (pass) · upper
- Third Reading — **38–0** (pass) · upper
- Passage — **112–0** (pass) · lower
- Favorable with Committee Substitute — **8–0** (pass) · upper
- Returning Messages — **37–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Stargel — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2019-12-19** Filed `filing`
- **2019-12-20** Referred to Education; Appropriations Subcommittee on Education; Appropriations `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-06** On Committee agenda-- Education, 01/13/20, 1:00 pm, 412 Knott Building
- **2020-01-13** Favorable by Education; YEAS 8 NAYS 0 `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2020-01-14** Introduced `introduction`
- **2020-01-14** Now in Appropriations Subcommittee on Education
- **2020-01-23** On Committee agenda-- Appropriations Subcommittee on Education, 01/28/20, 8:30 am, 412 Knott Building --Not Considered
- **2020-01-24** On Committee agenda-- Appropriations Subcommittee on Education, 01/29/20, 9:00 am, 412 Knott Building
- **2020-01-29** Subcommittee Recommendation: CS by Appropriations Subcommittee on Education; YEAS 8 NAYS 0
- **2020-01-31** Now in Appropriations
- **2020-01-31** On Committee agenda-- Appropriations, 02/05/20, 1:00 pm, 412 Knott Building --Temporarily Postponed
- **2020-02-03** On Committee agenda-- Appropriations, 02/06/20, 9:00 am, 412 Knott Building --Meeting cancelled
- **2020-02-27** On Committee agenda-- Appropriations, 03/03/20, 1:00 pm, 412 Knott Building
- **2020-03-03** CS by- Appropriations; YEAS 20 NAYS 0
- **2020-03-03** Pending reference review -under Rule 4.7(2) - (Committee Substitute)
- **2020-03-04** Placed on Calendar, on 2nd reading
- **2020-03-04** Placed on Special Order Calendar, 03/05/20
- **2020-03-04** CS by Appropriations read 1st time
- **2020-03-05** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2020-03-05** Placed on 3rd reading
- **2020-03-06** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2020-03-06** CS passed; YEAS 38 NAYS 0 `passage`
- **2020-03-06** In Messages
- **2020-03-09** Referred to Calendar `referral-committee`
- **2020-03-09** Received
- **2020-03-10** Placed on Special Order Calendar, 03/10/20
- **2020-03-10** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2020-03-10** Amendment(s) adopted (441551) -HJ 1032,1040
- **2020-03-10** Placed on 3rd reading
- **2020-03-11** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2020-03-11** Amendment(s) adopted (284391)
- **2020-03-11** CS passed as amended; YEAS 117 NAYS 0 `passage`
- **2020-03-11** In returning messages
- **2020-03-13** Amendment(s) to House amendment(s) adopted (766582, 805878, 863082)
- **2020-03-13** Concurred in House amendment(s) as amended (594317)
- **2020-03-13** CS passed as amended; YEAS 37 NAYS 0 `passage`
- **2020-03-13** In returning messages
- **2020-03-13** Concurred in Senate amendment(s) to House amendment(s) (766582, 805878, 863082) -HJ 1250, 1251
- **2020-03-13** CS passed as amended; YEAS 112 NAYS 0 `passage`
- **2020-03-13** Ordered engrossed, then enrolled
- **2020-06-16** Signed by Officers and presented to Governor
- **2020-06-29** Approved by Governor `executive-signature`
- **2020-06-30** Chapter No. 2020-117

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/4f081912-520b-4d89-83e4-372141880154`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Florida legislature records).