TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Governor DeSantis wants to bring a DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) task force to Florida.

In an executive order, the governor said he wants auditors to look at college university spending.

“This is the DOGE-ing of our state university system,” DeSantis said in Tampa Monday. “We will conduct a deep dive of all facets of university operations and spending, including debt and financial management practices, and make recommendations to the Board of Governors to consider and implement pathways to eliminate any unnecessary spending.”

The order said it impacts programs, courses, staff, and other inefficiencies within the university system and Florida college system.

“We want to make sure that these universities are really serving the classical mission of what a university is supposed to be, and that’s not to impose ideology. It’s really to teach students how to think and to prepare them to be citizens of our republic,” DeSantis said.

The governor paired these plans with the state’s elimination of diversity, equity, and inclusion, or DEI, in higher education.

“There are certain subjects that, you know, look if you want to do some of this, go to Cal Berkeley, go to some of these other places. We don’t really want to be doing some of this stuff in Florida,” DeSantis said.

The governor’s order sparks many questions. How will this impact students who may need certain courses for graduate schools in other states? How will other states view Florida’s education system for not including certain courses?

St. Petersburg College Political Analyst Tara Newsom said the wrong set of experts are trying to get this order done.

“If you have a toothache, you go to a dentist. You’re not going to go to the governor to look at educational reform because he’s not an academician,” Newsom said. “If we really want to take an evaluation of course offerings at our colleges and our universities, we should do it from the lenses of those that are bringing business into the state of Florida. Most, you know, high-end businesses, tech businesses, they want critical thinkers. And you can’t become a critical thinker if you’re in an echo chamber.”

She said she hopes the legislature slows this train down. It’s unclear what the standards will be for these evaluations. Newsom said it could lead to a growing cost to state taxpayers in the courtroom, though it doesn’t have to.

“There’s really bar to none, the state of Florida, especially when it comes to their 28 college systems,” Newsom said. “Why fix something that’s not broke?”