As several of Florida's public universities have had new presidents at the helm recently, there's a trend of who's been chosen to lead: Politicians

TALLAHASSEE — New College of Florida could take over the University of South Florida’s Sarasota-Manatee campus under plans being negotiated in the state Legislature, according to a top Republican senator. Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, confirmed rumors about the potential merger on Wednesday.

UF came out on top, with the site saying students can expect to spend an average of just under $19,000 each academic year.

The University of Florida's board of trustees on Friday deliberated on key campus initiatives, received an update on the Hamilton Center and, during public comment, listened to concerns over the proposed demolition of Maguire Village and University Village South. Here's a look at what happened Friday:

Said New College trustee Ron Christaldi, a prominent Tampa lawyer and GOP political donor: "New College’s vision is to continue to grow and expand … and it needs more space to do that.”

Florida Virtual School is partnering with UF and the Concord Consortium to introduce a groundbreaking year-long “Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Math” supplemental certification for FLVS middle and high school students enrolled in the school’s Flex option.

Students and former residents are trying to convince leaders from tearing down Maguire Village and University Village South