Update: Zack Smith did not appear, and he has been scheduled for the next meeting. Ed Fleming was approved for Pensacola State College. His appointment to UWF will not come up for approval into next year, along with Adam Kissel, Janice Gilley and Kishane Patel.
Two of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ appointees to the University of West Florida Board of Trustees—Ed Fleming and Zack Smith—will have their first of two Florida Senate confirmation hearings today. Both received confirmation to serve on the Pensacola State College District Board earlier this year. And yes, it’s unusual for two individuals to serve as trustees of two higher-learning institutions in the same Florida town.
- Details: The Senate Appropriations Committee on Higher Education meets at 10 a.m. CT. Fleming is first; Smith is #19 of 20 appointees statewide. See agenda.
Background: Fleming and Smith were appointed after Boise State professor Scott Yenor and Tampa podcaster Gates Garcia resigned before their confirmation hearings before the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee, which is chaired by Sen. Don Gaetz.
Through a public record request, Inweekly received former University of West Florida Trustee Gates Garcia’s resignation letter, dated Monday, April 14. Garcia resigned because residents and Sen. Gayle Harrell, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Higher Education, “strongly believe its board should be comprised of residents of the Panhandle.
- He wrote, “I do not meet this qualification. Therefore, I’m resigning to make a place for someone who does meet this qualification.”
In his resignation email to UWF President Dr. Martha Saunders, Yenor painted himself as a “patriotic reformer,” who believes “higher education status quo is bad for our country.” He praised Gov. Ron DeSantis, who appointed the Idaho resident, and stated the governor’s “higher education reforms are models for the country.”
- He added, “I was looking forward to bringing the governor’s positive vision for higher education to the University of West Florida as a member of the Board of Trustees.”
While Fleming is a well-known Pensacola attorney, few locals know Smith, who is a Senior Legal Fellow and Manager of the Supreme Court and Appellate Advocacy Program at The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank .
Drag Show Smith
Since his appointment last May, Smith has become a major voice against drag shows at the UWF campus and in downtown Pensacola.
At his first Trustee meeting. Smith attacked President Martha Saunders about a drag show held in 2009.
Smith, who had only been appointed the day before the meeting, said he flagged several items that concerned him.
“One of the ones I saw was a drag show that the university co-sponsored called ‘Drag Me to Hell.’ It was co-sponsored officially by the university,” Smith said. “I’m curious to know, was that mandated by anyone? Or why did the university think it was appropriate to sponsor a show, a drag show entitled ‘Drag Me to Hell’ that I think certainly religious students and others on campus might find offensive.”
When President Saunders indicated she was unfamiliar with the event and requested more information, Smith noted it was sponsored by the Office of Inclusion in October 2019 and was still promoted on the university’s social media with hashtags like #uwfrespect and #inclusion.
- “My concern is if the goal was to foster a community of respect and inclusion, it’s hard to see how that would be promoted by again, having a program called ‘Drag Me to Hell,’ because I certainly find that offensive. And I think many in our community likely would as well,” Smith stated.
Bye, Bye PBS
At Pensacola State College, Smith led the effort to drop WSRE-TV’s affiliation with PBS. He questioned President Ed Meadows’ serving on the board of Achieve Escambia and the hiring of its former executive director because of the nonprofit’s efforts to deal with inequities in the community. The Board has since rewritten its minutes to tone down Smith’s rhetoric.
Smith also chaired the UWF Presidential Search Committee, which reviewed over 80 applications and decided Interim President Manny Diaz Jr. was the only finalist for the job.
This again begs the question as to why relative unknown Smith is able to exert so much, what amounts to, non-elected political power via our two higher education institutions.
And he sure does spend a lot of time thinking about drag shows. Hmm.