During a recent legislative committee meeting, Rep. Ashley Gantt challenged Committee Chair Rep. Tiffany Esposito over a presentation outlining the potential elimination of multiple liberal arts majors at Florida’s public universities.
Gantt, who shared her account in a TikTok video after the meeting, said the two-hour hearing included only a single presentation from the State University System’s Board of Governors — yet, she argued, it left lawmakers with “more questions than answers” about how certain programs had been targeted for phase-out.
According to Gantt, the list of majors under review consisted largely of liberal arts programs, including women’s studies and ethnic literature. The criteria for eliminating a major, she said, were presented as simple enrollment metrics over a three-year period. But Gantt argued that the process lacked transparency and failed to address underlying issues such as faculty recruitment and retention.
When she pressed the Board’s representatives on those factors, Gantt says Esposito attempted to end the meeting early rather than allow further questioning — a move Gantt described as “weaponizing the rules.”
“I was elected just like her,” Gantt said. “I have questions, and the answers need to be provided on the record.”
Gantt accused Esposito of trying to avoid public accountability and of pushing policies she framed as harmful to Floridians — from academic cuts to housing and heat-safety issues. She argued that eliminating liberal arts majors fits into a broader pattern of “anti-intellectualism” within state leadership.
“Floridians deserve to know why programs are being cut,” Gantt said. “This is our public university system. The answers shouldn’t happen behind closed doors.”
Esposito has not responded publicly to Gantt’s video, though she has previously supported higher-education reforms tied to workforce demand and program performance.
Gantt’s criticism reflects growing tension in the legislature over the direction of Florida’s higher-education system, with Democrats increasingly warning that the state is narrowing academic freedom and weakening disciplines deemed politically unpopular.
This isn’t the first time Rep. Gantt has drawn statewide attention for her outspoken approach. Her rising profile has also intensified political tensions within her own party. HyLo News recently reported that former Democratic Rep. James Bush III recently filed a defamation lawsuit against Rep. Gantt seeking more than $1 million in damages against Gantt and several Democratic campaign organizations, alleging that campaign ads tied to her 2022 race prompted “relentless public attacks” against him in his community.
Rep. Ashley V. Gantt represents Florida House District 109 in Miami-Dade County, including Liberty City, Little Haiti, and Brownsville. A former public-school teacher and Teach for America alumna, she later earned her law degree, served as a Broward County public defender, and founded her own law firm.
Residents can learn more about her initiatives, legislation, and community events on her official Florida House page.
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