Update: I have added more supporting documentation – letter and email chain.
I finally connected with Sen. Don Gaetz, who chairs the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee. He predicted that Senate President Ben Albritton would NOT intervene to push University of West Florida Trustee Adam Kissel’s confirmation to the full Senate for approval.
- Kissel had been told that he had to appear before the committee, but he refused to do so. The West Virginia native had a difficult time with the Ethics and Elections Committee last spring and failed to win its approval.
Last Spring
Senator Tina Polsky kept her remarks concise, stating she would honor the request from UWF representatives while echoing sentiments about trust expressed by a former president.
Senator Erin Grall strongly supported Kissel’s nomination, arguing that his transparency about his opinions was an asset rather than a liability. She emphasized that Kissel’s openness allows for constructive dialogue among board members and noted his expertise on accreditation issues would be valuable to the university.
Senator Jay Collins, whom DeSantis later appointed Lt. Governor, aligned with Grall’s position, emphasizing that effective boards benefit from diverse perspectives rather than homogeneous thinking. Collins suggested that Kissel’s unique skillset would help “fill gaps” on the board and contribute to the university’s growth and development.
The final vote was 5-4 against Kissel. Read more.
Timeline
The Senate Ethics and Elections Committee staff notified Kissel that he would have to appear before the committee this morning. Kissel replied by email that he found it inconvenient to appear, according to Gaetz. Kissel asked the committee to submit written questions, and he would provide written answers.
- Gaetz told me, “I wrote him back a letter, which simply said, ‘We don’t do things that way. If we request you to appear, we expect you to appear, and we don’t have a procedure for submitting written questions to a nominee and getting written answers back. It would be unprecedented. We’re not going to do it, so if you don’t appear, we’re not going to take up your nomination.”
Letter
From Sen. Gaetz to Kissel:
“The Senate Ethics and Elections Committee expects that a nominee whose presence is requested by any Senator will attend his/her confirmation hearing and directly respond to questions.
“Your offer to respond to written questions in lieu of appearing is not contemplated in the committee’s procedures and would be unprecedented.
“Consequently, during the committee’s publicly noticed meeting Monday, March 2nd at 9:30 a.m., if you do not appear I will temporarily postpone consideration of your nomination.
“Because our March 2nd meeting is the final meeting of our committee during this legislative session, your nomination will not be acted on by the Senate.”
Read Adam Kissel
- First, Kissel said he would appear but then reneged on that commitment.
Email Chain
On Fri, Feb 27, 2026, at 11:21 a.m. Adam Kissel wrote:
Dear Chairman Gaetz and team:
Thank you for your helpful reply yesterday. It appears that I received other, incorrect information yesterday regarding rules and processes.
I request a virtual appearance so as not to disrupt Trinity College courses. If this request is denied, I plan to appear before the committee in person.
I understand that sometimes a virtual appearance has technical difficulties. I would be glad to log on early with staff to ensure that the tech is working well. Chair Harrell’s committee had no difficulty with my setup at her hearing this week.
I may send some written comments in advance to help the committee understand some of my positions. Any committee member who would like me to be best prepared for a particular question is still invited to send me the question ahead.
I encourage relevant staff to review the material in the dossier(s) on me for accuracy because secondary sources are often incorrect or misleading.
Respectfully,
Adam Kissel
Later – 3:10 p.m.
Dear Chairman Gaetz and team:
On further reflection, the burden of appearing is too great, and I do not plan to appear. I greatly appreciate everyone’s time, thought, and effort on this matter.
Respectfully,
Adam Kissel
- Gaetz said, “So I let the governor’s office know that if he didn’t appear, he would not be confirmed. Therefore, he was not confirmed.”
What about the Senate President?
“The president has the prerogative to move any nominee directly to the floor, but my prediction is that the president will not move Mr. Kissel’s nomination to the floor,” Gaetz said.
Gov. DeSantis cannot appoint Kissel again to the UWF Board of Trustees.
Thank you Senator Gaetz for understanding the need to have fully competent and committed members appointed to the University of West Florida BOT. It appears that Adam Kissel found it too difficult to complete the process by appearing before your committee. In my opinion that indicates a lack of commitment to serving on the BOT.
(a) Do not imagine that Senator Albritton will not push this nomination directly to the Senate floor. He is in the position of President only to do what DeSantis tells him to do;
(b) Of course, it’s against the rules and all precedents, but do not imagine that DeSantis will not once again nominate Kissel. He is in the position of Governor only to do what Trump tells him to do.