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Hundreds attend town hall on potential New College takeover of Ringling Museum of Art

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Published  April 22, 2025 10:53pm EDT
Sarasota
FOX 13 News

Town hall discusses Ringling Museum of Art

Hundreds of community members attended the 'Citizens to Protect The Ringling' group's town hall to learn more about a proposed transfer of management from Florida State University to New College of Florida. Jennifer Kveglis reports.

The Brief

    • Hundreds attended a town hall to learn more about a proposed New College takeover of the Ringling Museum.
    • Governor Ron DeSantis has proposed taking management out of FSU's hands and giving it to New College.
    • Many worry that New College lacks the resources to manage the Ringling Museum properly.

SARASOTA, Fla. - Hundreds of community members attended the "Citizens to Protect The Ringling" group's town hall to learn more about a proposed transfer of management from Florida State University to New College.

The group was launched two months ago after advocates, including former Ringling Museum Board Member Nancy Parrish, found a bill listed in Governor DeSantis' budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins on May 1.

The backstory:

The item states that beginning August 1, FSU should transfer all duties, responsibilities and state financial obligations of the entire 66-acre Ringling Museum campus to New College of Florida. 

FSU has managed the Ringling Museum since 2000. 

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The group believes that New College of Florida, the smallest university in the state, does not have the bandwidth to support such a large entity.

What they're saying:

"This community has come together and raised over $200 million in the past 25 years for the Ringling Museum to go from surviving to thriving," Parrish said. "The collections, post 1936, could be sold. It’s very concerning, and we’re here to stop it."

Parrish said it's a back-door deal. 

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PICTURED: Nancy Parrish.

"They’re going to have to duke it out behind closed doors, and that’s our concern," Parrish added. "If it’s a good plan, why didn’t they show it to us a year ago? Why didn’t we see it? Why didn’t the community have an opportunity to weigh in?"

Dig deeper:

USF Sarasota-Manatee donors, board members and former staff share a similar feeling about their campus. 

John Horne, an advisory board member of the USFSM School of Hospitality, said he's heard there are talks that New College could also absorb USFSM. 

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"We’re just hearing more and more that it’s a done deal," Horne added. "We want to keep things the way they are. We want to keep the students here. We want to keep Ringling."

The other side:

FOX 13 reached out to the governor's office, the Ringling Museum and New College about the alleged management transfers but did not receive a response. 

What's next:

A "Stand up for USF Sarasota-Manatee" forum is planned to take place on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at the Anna Maria Oyster Bar Landside, located at 6906 14th St. W, Bradenton.

To learn more about "Citizens to Protect The Ringling," click here.

The Source: FOX 13's Jennifer Kveglis collected the information in this story.

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