Feb. 13, 2026, 5:08 a.m. ET

Florida A&M University’s president will receive a $5,000 monthly allowance while the president’s house is being renovated.The university’s Board of Trustees also approved a one-time $25,000 payment for moving and relocation expenses.The president’s house has been unoccupied for much of the last two decades and is currently undergoing renovations.

Florida A&M University is still working on getting President Marva Johnson settled into the president’s house on campus six months into her term.

In the meantime, she’ll be paid tens of thousands of dollars to reimburse her housing expensesas she waits to move in. 

FAMU’s Board of Trustees met on Feb. 12 in the university’s Grand Ballroom and unanimously approved an amendment to Johnson’s contract, which will give her $25,000 in moving and relocation expenses and a $5,000 monthly allowance. 

Following a summary of the proposed amendment by FAMU’s Chief Legal Officer Avery McKnight during a governance committee meeting, the board vote was made without discussion or any questioning from trustees. It comes as Johnson’s five-year presidential contract currently includes a base pay of $650,000, the possibility of her earning an $86,000 annual bonus based on her performance evaluation, a 3% annual pay increase and other incentives.

Johnson has been staying off campus while the president’s house is being renovated, according to a FAMU spokesperson − with the location not disclosed following the Tallahassee Democrat’s inquiry − and the slated completion date of the renovations has not yet been determined. It is unclear when the renovations began or what prompted the specific timing of the amendment.

The Democrat has requested records and invoices pertaining to Johnson’s housing and living expenses since she assumed the presidential role Aug. 1. 

In addition, Johnson’s initial contract states that she was “eligible to receive a one-time reimbursement of up to $25,000 for moving and relocation expenses from her current home in Winter Garden to the university president’s house,” and the approved amendment makes the reimbursed amount set in stone as she did not received the $25,000 beforehand.

Regarding the $5,000 monthly allowance, it was not included at all in the initial contract and is being added through the amendment. With the amendment being approved, Johnson will be receiving the one-time $25,000 payment within the next 30 days and will start being paid the $5,000 monthly allowance on March 1 until the time the president’s house is ready for her to move in.

According to the terms of the contract agreement approved by trustees in June ahead of Johnson’s confirmation and Aug. 1 start date, Johnson was supposed to be residing in the president’s house. But given the ongoing renovations, “the university’s president house is not available for permanent occupancy at this time and may not be readily available to be occupied as intended in the foreseeable future,” according to the amendment.

Before FAMU interim President Timothy Beard started living in the president’s house on campus during his one-year term from August 2024 to August 2025, no one lived in it for eight years, and it was being used as a hospitality venue. 

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While former FAMU President Larry Robinson lived off campus during his tenure, the university’s leader before him – former President Elmira Mangum – lived in the house during her tenure from 2014 to 2016 amid controversial, costly renovations as expenses neared $400,000. Before Mangum, the house had not been occupied by a president since Frederick Humphries’s term ended in 2001.

Renovations that are currently underway at the house include new roofing, resurfacing the driveway and HVAC work while touch-up painting, pressure washing and maintenance related to flooring and lighting will also take place at a later date. The renovation project is part of the university’s campus beautification plan, according to a university spokesperson, and the total cost has not been determined yet but will be covered by the university.

Prior to Johnson taking permanent occupancy of the house on campus, she and the Board of Trustees – or a designee of the board –will need to evaluate the conditions of the house to determine if it’s ready for permanent occupancy as they identify the costs and benefits of renovations or repairs, according to the contract. 

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_.