Other states' lawyers are still drafting memos about whether to respond.
DeSantis already handed in Florida's answer – signed by all 40 public university presidents.
DeSantis walked into the Department of Education yesterday and left as the only governor in America who didn't need a federal letter to do the right thing.
What Every Other State Is Still Thinking About
Secretary Linda McMahon issued her National Call to Action on August 3rd.
She asked every postsecondary institution in America to publish, by end of 2026, a public statement addressing seven areas: merit-based admissions, free speech on campus, intellectual diversity in faculty hiring, affordability, academic rigor in the age of AI, protection from foreign influence, and workforce readiness.
No legal mandate.
No funding conditions.
Just a direct question: where does your institution stand?
Universities lawyered up immediately.
Foley Hoag advised clients to "carefully evaluate whether and how to engage."
https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/2089794632070668299?s=20
The University of Arizona's president issued a press release directing reporters to an existing statement.
The American Association of Community Colleges published a joint letter explaining they already agreed with most of the goals – without signing anything.
Florida Commissioner of Education Henry Mack had a different message for McMahon.
"Florida is not beginning this work in response to your letter," Mack wrote. "For more than a decade, our state has deliberately built a public university and college system around academic excellence, affordability, accountability, free inquiry, merit, and economic relevance."
Read that again slowly.
Every other state's university presidents are watching to see what Harvard does first.
Florida told the federal government: we were already doing this.
Florida Already Did the Work
That statement isn't spin.
Florida banned DEI spending at every public university in January 2024 – not because Washington asked, but because Florida law required it first.
DeSantis signed the Stop WOKE Act.
He installed new leadership at New College of Florida and turned it into a classical liberal arts institution when the left said it was impossible.
Record CTE enrollment – up 30% since DeSantis took office.
https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/2089828865069732256?s=20
Nearly 1,300 Florida schools earned an "A" grade in 2024, up six percentage points from the year before.
Florida checked every box before the letter existed.
Chancellor Ray Rodrigues said it plainly: "The State University System of Florida is proud to affirm the principles that have made our universities a national model for higher education."
A national model.
Not a work in progress.
Not a cautious statement pending legal review.
A model.
The Part That Should Embarrass Every Other Governor
DeSantis hand-delivered a 30-page joint statement to the Department of Education carrying signatures from all 28 Florida College System presidents and all 12 State University System presidents.
Every single one.
https://twitter.com/EducationFL/status/2089784515304583334?s=20
No holdouts.
No "we need more time to review the implications."
No faculty senate committees demanding consultation before anyone puts their name on paper.
That tells you everything you need to know about what four years of DeSantis’ education policy actually accomplished – not the press releases, but the results.
When Washington, DC called, Florida picked up on the first ring.
Every other state is still letting it go to voicemail.
Sources:
- Governor Ron DeSantis Press Release, "Governor Ron DeSantis Announces Florida Becomes First State in the Nation to Respond to Federal Call to Action," Executive Office of the Governor, August 18, 2026.
- U.S. Department of Education, "U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon Issues National Call to Action to University Presidents and Governing Boards," ed.gov, August 3, 2026.
- Florida Department of Education, "Florida Department of Education Celebrates Major Milestones Achieved in 2024," fldoe.org, December 27, 2024.
- Fox News, "Ron DeSantis Bans State Funding for Diversity, Inclusion Programs at Florida Public Universities," Fox News, May 15, 2023.
