Bell now advances to the state Board of Governors, which has the final say.

UF held a series of forums last week to introduce Bell to students, faculty and staff.

If confirmed by the UF Board of Trustees and Florida Board of Governors, Bell will be UF's 14th president.

Bell was previously president of the University of Alabama, where he served for 10 years.

Stuart Bell was the former president of the University of Alabama. He also served as the president of the Southeastern Conference from 2023 to 2025.

School board members cited declining enrollment, financial issues and school choice policies as contributing factors.

"DEI is discriminatory by design, antithetical to the purpose of a university, and incompatible with the pursuit of truth," the X post reads.

Scott called for an investigation into Interim President Donald Landry's contract and criticized the selection process for Stuart Bell as the sole finalist for president.

Stuart Bell is not new to academia. He's the former president of the University of Alabama, where he held that position for 10 years before his departure last summer.

Low teacher pay has long been a grievance leveled against the state legislature, so much so that Florida authorized a bill to expand the minimum base salary in 2020.