The Florida Capitol was decked in garnet and gold for Florida State University’s annual ‘Day at the Capitol’ event Jan. 21, which comes as the university is requesting over $260 million of operational funding in this year’s legislative session.
And as the university’s students, faculty, administrators and alumni spent the day lobbying and meeting with legislators, one of the biggest efforts the university is seeking funding for is FSU Health – an initiative in which $50 million of recurring and non-recurring funds are being requested.
Meanwhile, moves are still being made for FSU to acquire the Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare campus.
“In research, we are setting a new pace,” FSU President Richard McCullough said. “We’ve launched FSU Health and we have partnered with Tallahassee Memorial hospital and, more recently, with the city.”
“Yesterday, we signed the historic agreement for us to move forward in a memorandum of understanding to transfer the city assets of the hospital to Florida State University,” he added, “creating a new partnership to bring even better healthcare to Leon County and the surrounding area.”
Florida State University President Richard McCullough speaks to a large crowd gathered in the Florida capitol courtyard for FSU Day, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026.
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In the university’s legislative budget request for the 2026-27 fiscal year, the $50 million for FSU Health – which is an initiative with the goal of transforming the quality of healthcare in Florida’s most underserved regions – consists of $33.5 million of recurring funds and $16.5 million of non-recurring funds.
But the goal of creating a healthcare enterprise like UF Health will likely take many, many more millions from lawmakers in the years to come, especially for FSU to meet its promise to invest $1.7 billion in healthcare and research over the next 30 years.
The MOU with the city includes a sales price of $109 million, to be paid by FSU to the city over 30 years in yearly installments of $3.633 million, and a commitment by FSU to invest $100 million in existing hospital facilities and another $150 million toward the FSU Health endeavor.
As the State University System of Florida’s Chancellor Ray Rodrigues also shared remarks during the Day at the Capitol event, he highlighted FSU’s accomplishment of increasing its research expenditures by 50% since 2021.
“That number is only going to go up with the partnerships you’re establishing in healthcare here in Tallahassee,” Rodrigues said. “I’m very excited to continue to watch the success of FSU.”
Besides FSU Health, other initiatives the university is seeking funding for in its legislative budget request include $32.5 million for the Florida Behavioral Health Center of Excellence, $43.7 million for a translation hub on healthy aging, $70.5 million to advance breakthroughs across several science fields and $65 million to advance the university’s national prominence.
In addition, according to a university spokesperson, highlights from FSU’s fixed capital outlay requests this year include:
FAMU-FSU College of Engineering: $91.97 million
Veterans Legacy Complex: $13 million
Kellogg Research Building Remodel: $33.7 million
FSU Health Facilities Deferred Maintenance: $20 million
Rovetta Renovation: $33.5 million
Moore Auditorium Remodel: $28 million
“We are on a roll, and we are going to continue to accelerate our momentum at Florida State University,” McCullough said.
Attendees at the Capitol building Wednesday included Board of Trustees chair Peter Collins, vice chair Vivian de las Cuevas-Diaz and Student Body President Carson Dale as well as members Peter Jones and Jim Henderson. Several legislators who are FSU alumni were also acknowledged, although many of them were unavailable due to the legislative session.
On top of the usual pomp and circumstance at the annual event Wednesday, a House resolution marked Jan. 21, 2026 as “FSU Day” in Florida – a designation that comes as the university is celebrating 175 years since its founding. FSU First Lady Jai Vartikar is leading a year-long celebration at the university in honor of the milestone anniversary, McCullough said.
The Day at the Capitol event – which was filled with classic tunes from the FSU Marching Chiefs band and energetic routines by cheerleaders – also featured a special presentation of the university’s women’s soccer team after the group of student athletes secured its fifth national title with a 1-0 win over Stanford in December.
“Your support makes it possible for us to win championships and earn our degrees simultaneously,” team member and FSU sophomore Janet Okeke told the attendees. “Today’s student athletes are tomorrow’s leaders in businesses, education and public service.”
Following the event at the Capitol was a celebration of FSU’s 175th anniversary at Legacy Walk near the Student Union on campus with cupcakes and giveaways to continue the festivities.
Tarah Jean is the higher education reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat, a member of the USA TODAY Network – Florida. She can be reached at tjean@tallahassee.com. Follow her on X: @tarahjean_.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU holds annual Day at the Capitol event during legislative session