Why It Matters
Florida faces a projected shortfall of nearly 60,000 nurses by 2035, and state lawmakers are directing significant funding toward accredited programs they believe can address that gap responsibly. Seminole State College, a Seminole County institution better known for two-year degrees, stands to become a centerpiece of the state’s healthcare workforce strategy with a major capital investment included in the 2026–27 state budget.
What Happened
The Florida Legislature’s final budget includes a $10 million appropriation for Seminole State College to support construction of a new academic building at its Altamonte Springs campus. The nearly 108,000-square-foot facility is projected to cost approximately $60.3 million and would house expanded classrooms and laboratory space for healthcare and workforce training programs.
The centerpiece of the expansion is the college’s nursing program. If fully funded and built, the new Workforce, Science and Technology Center would allow the school to grow its overall student capacity from 4,500 to 9,000. “The Workforce, Science and Technology Center at our Altamonte Springs Campus will significantly expand access to high-demand healthcare and workforce education programs, including doubling the capacity of our nationally recognized nursing program,” said college President Georgia Lorenz.
Rep. David Smith, a Winter Springs Republican who handled the House funding request, described the college as “probably the biggest winner financially” in Central Florida within the state budget. Sen. Jason Brodeur of Lake Mary, who championed the request in the Senate, pointed to the school’s near-95% first-attempt passage rate on the national registered nurse licensing exam as justification for the investment. “This is arguably one of the best nursing schools in the country,” Brodeur said.
By the Numbers
- $10 million — Pending state appropriation in the 2026–27 budget
- $10 million — Prior state appropriation received in 2025
- $4.4 million — State funds allocated in 2023 for pre-construction planning
- $5 million — Commitment from AdventHealth, a major Central Florida hospital system
- $60.3 million — Total projected cost of the new building
- ~95% — First-attempt pass rate for Seminole State nursing graduates on the national licensing exam
- ~60,000 — Projected Florida nursing shortage by 2035
Zoom Out
Florida’s nursing shortage is part of a broader national trend driven by an aging population, pandemic-era burnout, and an insufficient pipeline of qualified healthcare workers. The state has faced particular scrutiny over the quality of some nursing programs following a period in which regulations were loosened in 2009, allowing lower-quality institutions to expand enrollment without corresponding academic rigor. Critics argue the result has been a wave of graduates who struggle to pass licensing exams, making investments in high-performing programs like Seminole State’s more strategically important.
Brodeur drew a direct contrast with what he called “diploma mills” — for-profit institutions that enroll nursing students who are unable to pass certification tests. “We know there’s a shortage of healthcare workers in the state of Florida,” he said. “You’ve got to put your money where your mouth is.” The investment in Seminole State reflects a legislative preference for channeling public dollars toward institutions with demonstrated outcomes rather than expanding access broadly through lower-accountability providers.
Florida has also been investing heavily in community college infrastructure more broadly, with governing boards and trustees playing a growing role in shaping institutional priorities across the state.
What’s Next
The full state budget, which includes the Seminole State appropriation, was expected to face a legislative vote. However, Gov. Ron DeSantis holds line-item veto authority, meaning no individual spending item is guaranteed until he signs the final budget. The college has not announced a construction start date, and school officials said they are continuing to seek additional state funding, grants, and private contributions to close the gap between funding secured so far and the building’s total cost.