Budget talks could place UF centers on antisemitism task force agenda

Though a statewide Antisemitism Task Force failed to pass this year, House budget negotiators are weighing language that would send key parts of the agenda to UF’s Hamilton and Bud Shorstein centers.

Tallahassee’s fight against antisemitism is finding a new route through the state budget, even as a standalone statewide task force failed to clear the Legislature.

Senate Bill 1072, sponsored by Sen.. Alexis Calatayud. would have created an 18-member Antisemitism Task Force housed in the Department of Legal Affairs alongside the Office of Civil Rights.. After the Senate approved the measure unanimously in early March, the bill stalled in the House and quietly died.

But in budget negotiations now underway, House conferees are proposing language that could effectively push much of the same work forward through the University of Florida.

House Offer 1 to the Higher Education budget would direct the Hamilton Center for Classical and Civic Education at UF. working in partnership with the Bud Shorstein Center. to conduct a comprehensive review of antisemitism in Florida.. The proposal would use $15 million in recurring General Revenue funds and instruct the centers to identify and acknowledge “the growing threat of antisemitism in this state. ” then recommend strategies. programs. and legislation to combat it.

The proposed scope mirrors the Senate’s task force mandate in several key areas.. Under the budget language. UF would also be tasked with studying law enforcement training related to the investigation and prosecution of hate crimes. identifying best practices from other states and jurisdictions. and evaluating Florida’s hate crime statutes.. The House proposal additionally calls for feasibility studies on whether educational institutions can implement comprehensive reporting and tracking mechanisms for alleged incidents of antisemitism. and whether law enforcement agencies can do the same for alleged hate crimes.

That focus is not incidental. Policy officials and advocates have long pointed to a central challenge in confronting antisemitism: beyond whether incidents occur, whether the state can reliably see them, compare patterns over time, track them, and respond.

House negotiators’ approach amounts to a partial substitute for a statutory body.. Budget funding is not the same as establishing a statewide task force by law.. A statutory panel would have brought together lawmakers. executive agencies. local governments. law enforcement and prosecutors. education leaders. and Jewish community representatives. with an appointed membership and a public forum structure. plus annual reporting requirements to the Governor and the Legislature.. The Senate version also required the first annual report to focus on antisemitism in schools and universities.

Still, budget items can be a proving ground. Because the budget language is not yet adopted, the outcome remains uncertain. But if conferees keep the UF charge in place and require serious execution, it could produce an evidence base for a stronger task force proposal in the next session.

Outside government, a parallel effort is also taking shape.. The Tallahassee Jewish Federation is developing a plan to privately convene a statewide Jewish Hate Roundtable modeled on the structure and policy objectives of SB 1072.. The concept is to begin the work before any legislative codification. while making clear that the private initiative would support rather than compete with the legislative goal.

The proposed roundtable would be hosted by the Tallahassee Jewish Federation during a 2027 committee week.. Organizers say it would aim to produce a concise report for bill sponsors. legislative leadership. the Governor. Cabinet. Attorney General. relevant agencies. and the public.. Like the Senate proposal. the report would include a practical roadmap for passing and funding a statutory Statewide Antisemitism Task Force in the coming year.

Karen Cyphers, president of the Tallahassee Jewish Federation, would play a leadership role alongside attorneys Jared Ross and Ryan Cox, whose work focuses on Jewish community advocacy and government affairs.

Cyphers said the Legislature is taking the threat seriously and has found a way to begin the work “with or without a statutory task force in place.” She called the proposed research through the Hamilton Center and Bud Shorstein Center a “great start” and said her organization stands ready to help convene community. legal. policy. and public-sector voices.

Ross described the funding as a step forward, saying the Legislature “did not enact the task force this year” but did not abandon the underlying concern. He pointed to the unanimous Senate passage and said the House budget language appears to preserve many of the core assignments.

Cox said the Jewish community in Florida’s capital city is preparing to supply the “connective tissue” the statute would have created and expects to work with partners around the state to carry the effort through.

Florida politics antisemitism task force UF Hamilton Center hate crime statutes law enforcement training budget negotiations