Rick Outzen January 6, 2026 1 Comment
The community has noticed irregularities in the governance of the University of West Florida and has begun to push back.
A detailed complaint has been filed with the UWF Compliance Office alleging Board of Trustees Chair Rebecca Matthews and certain board members have engaged in a pattern of violations of Florida’s Sunshine Law and institutional procedures. Read the BOT complaint.
- The 10-page complaint, filed in November, documents what it characterizes as coordinated actions among trustees that “raise concerns about compliance with Florida’s Sunshine Law in addition to possible violations of state board and UWF BOT procedures.”
Allegations of Pre-Coordinated Voting
The complaint outlines a pattern beginning in December 2024, when the Board of Governors and Governor DeSantis appointed eight new trustees in less than four weeks—creating an instant supermajority. According to the document, “It is exceedingly rare, if not unprecedented, for a supermajority of new members to be appointed to a Florida BOT in such a short timeframe.”
At the Jan. 23, 2025, board meeting, these new members voted as a bloc to elect Scott Yenor as chair within three minutes, despite his lack of UWF experience and residence in Idaho. The complaint states this “speed suggests a predetermined outcome and/or predetermined bloc voting.”
Presidential Search Controversy
The complaint details multiple procedural violations surrounding the appointment of Manny Diaz Jr. as interim president. On Memorial Day 2025—one day before the scheduled board meeting—Matthews updated the agenda to name Diaz specifically, providing trustees less than 24 hours notice on a federal holiday…