As the Florida House prepares to take up legislation that would fold Florida Polytechnic University into the University of Florida, Tampa Bay Times reporter Emily L. Mahoney looks into the bill sponsor’s assertions that the 2012 founding of the Lakeland STEM school was driven by politics. At the time, departing Senate Appropriations Chairman J.D. Alexander pushed the creation of Florida Poly, saying its predecessor school was being ignored by the University of South Florida, which oversaw it. Some say Alexander was motivated by building a destination for a then-proposed toll road that would enhance the value of land owned by his company. ALSO:

Source: Tampa Bay Times

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Barry Friedman

barry@lkldnow.com

Barry Friedman founded Lkldnow.com in 2015 as the culmination of a career in print and digital journalism. Since 1982, he has used the tools of reporting, editing and content curation to help people in Lakeland understand their community better.

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