Florida Senators Oppose College Sports Bill Due to Miami, FSU Expansion Ambitions

U.S. senators Rick Scott and Ashley Moody from Florida both opposed the Protect College Sports Act on Tuesday as the bill proceeded through the Senate. The senators, both Republicans, had concerns over the bill's expansion provision, which would make it more difficult for two Florida schools—Florida State and Miami—to leave the ACC for a different conference such as the SEC.

The PCSA's expansion provision would prohibit any power conferences from merging, cap power-conference membership at 19 schools each, and force any power-conference school moving from one league to another to serve a five-year independent status before joining its new conference. Scott expressed concerns about the expansion provision, though he also had issues with other provisions, stating that Congress should ban men from competing in women's sports and establish national standards to end transfer portal chaos.

Moody's office did not respond to a request for comment, but she introduced an amendment that would provide a 180-day grace period for schools to inform conferences of their intent to leave without having to spend five years as an independent. FSU and Miami have reportedly been considering potential expansion moves, with FSU filing a lawsuit against the ACC in 2023 and Clemson doing the same later.

A settlement was reached with the ACC in 2025 to make exit fees less burdensome and introduce a new revenue-sharing structure, which has kept the conference united for now. Bill co-sponsor Sen. Eric Schmitt (R., Mo.) confirmed ongoing negotiations about amending the expansion provision, but provided no guarantees of reaching an agreement.