Compiled from reports by The Gainesville Sun, WCJB and The Independent Florida Alligator. See the original articles linked below.
This article reports news and is not legal advice.
University of Florida President Stuart Bell said a posting to hire a worker on an H-1B visa was put up without his approval and has been taken down, according to reports from The Gainesville Sun, WCJB and The Independent Florida Alligator.
The posting
WCJB reported that the university had filed a notice of intent to hire an H-1B financial analyst. The Gainesville Sun, in an article carried by Yahoo, said the filing was dated October 26, 2026. It listed a salary of $64,928, a worksite at Tigert Hall in Gainesville, and a requested employment period running from February 2, 2027, to February 1, 2030.
The Gainesville Sun and the Alligator both said the conservative journalist Chris Brunet drew attention to the filing on the social platform X. The Alligator described the post as including a screenshot and the position's details, and said it appeared a day before Bell commented.
Bell's response
On Wednesday, Bell issued a statement. WCJB quoted him as saying the job had been posted without his approval or authorization and had been removed. The Alligator reported that the statement, made on X, added that UF would remain in full compliance with Gov. Ron DeSantis' direction on H-1B hires. According to the Alligator, the listing was removed from the university's employment portal.
The hiring pause
The Gainesville Sun reported that the Florida Board of Governors voted on March 2 to pause the hiring of new employees on H-1B visas until January 5, 2027. According to the newspaper, the vote followed DeSantis' accusation that state universities favored foreign workers over U.S. citizens. The Alligator described the hold as ordered by DeSantis and carried out by the Board of Governors across Florida's 12 public universities. It reported that the pause does not affect current international employees or visa renewals.
WCJB described the board's action as a year-long pause. It also reported that DeSantis had recently praised Florida public universities for eliminating programs that, in his words, favor foreign workers over young Americans.
Background on the visa
The Gainesville Sun noted that the H-1B program allows U.S. employers to hire foreign professionals in specialized fields who hold at least a bachelor's degree, for a period of up to six years.
Differences in the reports
The outlets differ slightly on some details. The Gainesville Sun gave October 27 as the day Brunet publicized the filing, while the Alligator said he posted it a day before Bell's Wednesday statement. The Alligator spelled the journalist's surname differently from the other two outlets. The Gainesville Sun and WCJB both gave the filing date as October 26, and WCJB and the Alligator both placed the story in the context of the governor's directive on H-1B hires at state universities. The Gainesville Sun and WCJB each reported Bell's statement as saying the job had been removed, while the Alligator specified removal from the employment portal.
Sources
- UF's Bell says H-1B job filing was made without his approval (The Gainesville Sun, 2026-10-28)
- UF President Bell removes H-1B job posted ‘without authorization’ following criticism (WCJB, 2026-10-28)
- UF President Bell reinforces H-1B law on higher education after job posting leaked (The Independent Florida Alligator, 2026-10-28)
This article was compiled with AI assistance from the reports listed above and reviewed by GMA before publishing.