The Senate Committee on Ethics and Elections held its final meeting of the 2026 Regular Session this morning. The University of West Florida’s two most controversial trustees, Adam Kissel and Zack Smith, were on the agenda for confirmation. However, Kissel did not appear.
- Chair Don Gaetz told his committee members, “Mr. Kissel has declined to appear before the committee and consequently his nomination shall be temporarily postponed.”
Smith Scrapes By
UWF Trustees Paul Bailey, Ed Fleming and Kevin Mason were confirmed unanimously, as were Pensacola State College trustees Richard Holzknecht, Todd Leonard, Oscar Locklin and Audrey McDonald. However, Zack Smith won confirmation on a 4-3 vote.
Senator Tina Polsky (D-Boca Raton) objected to Smith: “Mr. Smith is part of the Heritage Foundation. We already have Adam Kissel on there, who may or may not be on there after failing to get confirmed two years in a row. We voted down Mr. Kissel. I think, for some of the very same reasons, we would have to vote down Mr. Smith. I don’t think that members of the Heritage Foundation should be at our public universities for all the things that they stand for. I certainly don’t think we need two members of that on a very small trustee board, so I urge you to vote him down as well.”
Concerned Argos
Dear Senator Gaetz and Members of the Ethics and Elections Committee,
We are writing to follow up on our letter sent on 2/23/2026 on behalf of all Concerned Argonauts. Both Zack Smith and Adam Kissel will appear before your committee to be confirmed on the University of West Florida Board of Trustees on March 2, 2026.
For the continued success of UWF and its central contributions to the panhandle and Florida, we ask that you and your committee VOTE NO on both of these candidates.
Attached please find two briefings highlighting our reasons for this important request. We will paste the letters below as well, in case there is an issue with the attachments. Thank you very much for your attention to this issue that is extremely important for northwest Florida.
Kissel
What’s different? Last year, thousands of Northwest Florida citizens and UWF alumni called for a ‘no’ vote on Mr. Kissel, and both subcommittees voted against him. At the last meeting of the Appropriations Committee on Higher Education, the committee changed its vote despite Mr. Kissel confirming his goal of privatizing higher education. Which, at its core, is contrary to the committee’s intent.
So what changed? In fact, we have seen no change in Mr. Kissel’s core positions. His writings and statements reveal a record of opposing the very type of institution UWF represents: public and accessible to all Floridians.
Let’s go to the source
In his writing on privatizing colleges in 2024, Mr. Kissel notes that “traditional ‘four-year’ college programs are severely over-enrolled. This problem began with the mid-twentieth century GI Bill, which intentionally put veterans in college instead of the workforce, and massive subsidies to colleges have grown.”
Mr. Kissel has repeatedly stated that his positions on the GI Bill have been misrepresented, yet his writings indicate that he believes it is a major source of the problems with funding public schools, leading back to his ultimate goal of privatizing Higher Education in the U.S.
Restricting access: Why? Just last month (February 13), in the Chronicle of Higher Education, he stated, “I want college access to drop.” But for whom? Reducing federal funding could weaken federal protections and support programs that help middle class, working class, and other disadvantaged students access higher education opportunities.
Mr. Kissel’s views reveal a clear narrative on education and who he believes should have access to it.
So the question must be asked: Why does Adam Kissel want to serve on the Board of Trustees of a public university? UWF’s mission is to serve the region, no matter the student’s background. Why does Mr. Kissel seek to retain a position overseeing the type of institution he hopes to dissolve?
Continue the success Floridians pride themselves on affordable education, which is a springboard for success. UWF itself has earned a top-3 ranking in performance-based funding due to its excellence.
UWF works. Mr. Kissel, however, appears to see the university he helps oversee as a problem that he hopes to privatize or to which he seeks to restrict access.
We appreciate your help in continuing the University of West Florida’s success in serving the panhandle of Florida by not confirming Adam Kissel as a trustee of the UWF Board of Trustees.
Zack Smith:
We are writing to follow up on our letter sent on 2/23/2026. We are writing on behalf of all Concerned Argonauts. Zack Smith will appear before your committee to be confirmed on the University of West Florida Board of Trustees on March 2, 2026.
The Higher Education Allocations Committee declined to question Mr. Smith on his core performance issues and conflicts of interest. We encourage you to do so with the provided questions.
Process Questions Board of Governors regulations clearly state that presidential search committees must advance multiple candidates. The search committee you chaired did not meet this requirement. Why?
Questions: In your view as a lawyer, are the BOG regulations binding on trustee boards and committees? As the Presidential Search Committee Chair, what explanation do you have for the $350,000 that was spent but yet failed to produce another viable candidate?
You started your tenure as a UWF trustee less than a day after your appointment by the Governor, yet you arrived with detailed questions about President Saunders’ performance. The president’s performance was not an agenda item, yet you and two other trustees pressed Dr. Saunders on several items regarding her performance and judgment.
Questions: Who coordinated this line of questioning? In your view as a lawyer, is it appropriate for trustees of Florida’s public universities to receive coaching and guidance from a third party on their oversight duties? Is that a violation of Florida’s Sunshine laws?
Ethical Questions Mr. Smith, your national media presence has increased since your appointments to the Pensacola State College and UWF boards of trustees. Nearly all of these appearances are with expressly partisan outlets.
Questions: Is this a conflict of interest? How does a personal, partisan media campaign serve these public institutions?
Are there examples of other Florida trustees using their public position as a base for partisan commentary? Is it appropriate for a UWF trustee to publicly suggest the university may have violated state statutes regarding DEI when the trustee is aware that the events in question occurred long before the statute?
Policy Questions You have publicly attacked Pensacola-based drag shows, which are protected under the First Amendment.
Question: In your view as a lawyer, are drag shows at private venues legal?
You contributed to Project 2025, which outlined dramatic changes to public access to higher education. Question: Do you support accessible and affordable higher education, be it PSC or UWF, for all Floridians?
A Clear Vote For the continued success of UWF and its contributions to the panhandle and Florida, we ask that you and the Ethics and Elections committee VOTE NO on his confirmation.
Mr. Smith has a track record of putting his personal views above the institution’s priorities and working any opportunity to undermine the system and processes in place to advance his personal agenda. UWF deserves trustees who are willing to put the university’s and its students’ success above personal gain.
We appreciate your help in continuing the success of the University of West Florida by not confirming Zach Smith as trustee on the UWF Board of Trustees.
Sincerely,
Concerned Argonauts
Pensacola, FL
