{"id":155651,"date":"2026-02-14T16:47:17","date_gmt":"2026-02-14T16:47:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/155651\/"},"modified":"2026-02-14T16:47:17","modified_gmt":"2026-02-14T16:47:17","slug":"famu-approves-monthly-housing-pay-for-marva-johnson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/155651\/","title":{"rendered":"FAMU approves monthly housing pay for Marva Johnson"},"content":{"rendered":"

Feb. 13, 2026, 5:08 a.m. ET<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Florida A&M University<\/a>\u00a0is still working on getting President\u00a0Marva Johnson<\/a>\u00a0settled into\u00a0the president\u2019s house\u00a0on\u00a0campus\u00a0six months into her term.<\/p>\n

In the meantime,\u00a0she\u2019ll\u00a0be paid\u00a0tens of\u00a0thousands of dollars to reimburse her housing expensesas she waits to move in.\u00a0<\/p>\n

FAMU\u2019s Board of Trustees met on Feb. 12 in the university\u2019s Grand Ballroom and unanimously approved an amendment to Johnson\u2019s contract, which\u00a0will give her\u00a0$25,000 in moving and relocation expenses and a $5,000 monthly allowance.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Following a summary of the proposed amendment by FAMU’s Chief Legal Officer Avery McKnight during a governance committee meeting, the\u00a0board\u00a0vote was made without discussion or any questioning\u00a0from trustees. It comes as Johnson\u2019s five-year presidential contract currently includes\u00a0a\u00a0base pay of $650,000<\/a>, the possibility of her earning an $86,000 annual bonus based on her performance evaluation, a 3% annual pay increase and\u00a0other incentives.<\/p>\n

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Johnson has been staying off campus\u00a0while the president’s house is being renovated,\u00a0according to\u00a0a\u00a0FAMU spokesperson \u2212 with the location not disclosed following the Tallahassee Democrat’s inquiry \u2212 and the slated\u00a0completion date of the renovations has not yet been\u00a0determined.\u00a0It is unclear when the renovations began or what prompted the specific timing of the amendment.<\/p>\n

The Democrat has requested records and invoices\u00a0pertaining to\u00a0Johnson\u2019s housing and living expenses since she assumed the presidential role Aug. 1.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In addition, Johnson\u2019s\u00a0initial\u00a0contract\u00a0states\u00a0that she\u00a0was\u00a0“eligible\u00a0to 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\u2019s house,\u201d\u00a0and the approved amendment\u00a0makes\u00a0the reimbursed amount\u00a0set in stone as she did not received the $25,000 beforehand.<\/p>\n

Regarding\u00a0the $5,000 monthly allowance, it was not included at\u00a0all in\u00a0the\u00a0initial\u00a0contract and is being added through\u00a0the\u00a0amendment.\u00a0With the amendment being approved, Johnson will be receiving the one-time $25,000 payment within the next\u00a030 days\u00a0and will start being paid the $5,000 monthly allowance on March 1 until the time the president\u2019s house is ready for her to move in.<\/p>\n

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According to the terms of\u00a0the contract\u00a0agreement\u00a0approved by trustees in June ahead of Johnson’s confirmation<\/a> and Aug. 1 start date,\u00a0Johnson was supposed to be\u00a0residing in the president\u2019s house. But\u00a0given the ongoing\u00a0renovations,\u00a0\u201cthe\u00a0university\u2019s\u00a0president\u00a0house is not available for permanent occupancy at this time and may not be readily available to be occupied as intended in the foreseeable future,\u201d according to the amendment.<\/p>\n

Before FAMU interim President\u00a0Timothy Beard<\/a>\u00a0started living in the president’s house on campus during his one-year term from\u00a0August 2024\u00a0to\u00a0August 2025, no one lived in it for eight years, and it was being used as a hospitality venue.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Other FAMU news: Case closed: Judge dismisses FAMU lawsuit against president search<\/a><\/p>\n

While former FAMU President Larry Robinson<\/a> lived off campus during his tenure, the university’s leader before him \u2013 former President\u00a0Elmira Mangum<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0lived in the house during her tenure from 2014 to 2016 amid\u00a0controversial, costly renovations<\/a>\u00a0as expenses neared $400,000.\u00a0Before Mangum, the house had not been occupied by a president since Frederick\u00a0Humphries’s term ended in 2001.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0determined\u00a0yet but will be covered by the university.<\/p>\n

Prior to\u00a0Johnson\u00a0taking permanent occupancy of the house\u00a0on campus, she and the\u00a0Board of Trustees \u2013\u00a0or\u00a0a designee of the\u00a0board\u00a0\u2013will\u00a0need to evaluate the conditions of the house\u00a0to\u00a0determine\u00a0if\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0ready\u00a0for permanent occupancy\u00a0as they\u00a0identify\u00a0the costs and benefits of renovations or repairs, according to the contract.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Tarah Jean is the higher education reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat, a member of the USA TODAY Network \u2013 Florida. She can be reached at\u00a0tjean@tallahassee.com<\/a>. Follow her on X:\u00a0@tarahjean_<\/a>.<\/p>\n