A dispute that’s been building between New College of Florida and its neighbors in The Uplands reaches a mediation table Tuesday. Six residents filed petitions with the state Division of Administrative Hearings challenging the college’s campus master plan, arguing the December 2025 approval skipped meaningful public input, provided inadequate notice, and didn’t hold up under state planning requirements.
An administrative law judge has already narrowed roughly 25 allegations down to a smaller set of claims centered on state compliance and whether the plan relied on adequate data and analysis. Among the sticking points still on the table: proposed athletic fields near the airport, land designated for the Education Freedom Institute, and environmental concerns tied to the removal of 138 mature trees.
If Tuesday’s mediation doesn’t produce an agreement, a pre-hearing conference is scheduled for October 29. The outcome matters well beyond this campus. How Florida’s public universities handle transparency and community involvement in master planning could be shaped by what happens here. Community members like Judy Burns, who leads the Uplands Association, say the case highlights how difficult it is for residents to participate in decisions made by public institutions.
What do you think? Should neighborhoods have more formal say when a public university redraws its campus plan?
