SARASOTA, FL — New College of Florida has paid approximately $800,000 to two outside public relations consultants since 2023 — both hired through no-bid contracts — even as the school maintains a 13-member in-house marketing and communications team, public records show.
The spending comes as Governor Ron DeSantis has defended more than $60 million in state funding to transform the small liberal arts college of about 1,000 students away from what he calls ‘woke indoctrination.’
"We were really the first administration to infuse money into this place," DeSantis said at a recent education round table hosted at New College.
He acknowledged the state’s recent investment has limits. "You're obviously not going to keep spending that money — it's kind of a one-shot deal," DeSantis said.
Watch New College of Florida is spending nearly $1 million on outside PR consultants
But records, obtained through a public record request, show taxpayers have also been funding efforts to market the school's conservative new image — and paying outside political allies to do it.
From DeSantis spokesperson to New College PR consultant
More than $400,000 has gone to TMF Communications, run by Taryn Fenske, a former spokesperson for both New College President Richard Corcoran during his time as Florida's education commissioner and for Governor DeSantis. Fenske also led DeSantis' presidential super PAC before securing her no-bid contract with New College in July of 2023.
According to college invoices, Fenske — who communicates with the college using an encrypted email — has been paid upwards of $15,000 per month, plus travel expenses, to help improve the school's brand, create proactive messaging, and produce promotional videos like this one, according to contract details.
Fenske referred questions about her contract to New College.
Another nearly $400,000 has gone to a second firm, Evandr.co, a company run by Katy Saeger, a California PR consultant who describes her crisis communication services as "behind the scenes” and “discreet." Her no-bid contract with New College, signed in November 2023, is worth just over $12,000 per month, plus nearly $30,000 in back pay.
This January, Evandr.co’s monthly fees were reduced to $5,000. New College spokesman Jamie Miller would not provide an explanation for the reduction. Saeger did not respond to our request for comment.
"That's a lot of money!"
New College Professor Sarah Hernandez, a critic of the state's takeover of the school, said she was caught off guard by the spending.
"That's a lot of money," Hernandez said. "I was totally unaware of that."
Hernandez also said faculty have recently been asked to make budget cuts , making the continued spending for outside PR especially difficult to understand.
"You're telling me that we're spending almost a million dollars on communications when the academic program is being told this is what you're going to get," Hernandez said.
Last year, a state audit found New College, while the smallest public college in Florida's university system, is also the most financially inefficient. According to the report, it costs nearly three times as much to earn a degree at New College than UF- the state's largest university. In addition, spending per student at New College during FY 2024 was $83,207- nearly double spending at UF and the highest among all public universities in the state.
New College defends pricey PR
In a statement, New College's in-house PR chief, Jamie Miller, defended the outsourced PR hires, saying the school, "like many colleges and universities across Florida, works with outside vendors in a variety of operational areas, including communications and marketing."
Miller also praised both consultants: "The College has been very pleased with their performance.”
However, Miller did not answer questions about what these consultants have done for the college or why they’re still needed since the school has its own 13-member executive communications and marketing team.
Following the recent public round table at the school, Investigative Reporter Katie LaGrone approached New College President Richard Corcoran to ask about the need for these outside PR consultants, who remain as contracted consultants for the school. President Corcoran said they were hired when the school's own PR department wasn't fully staffed and the college was facing state and federal investigations.
“Someone’s got to process them," Corcoran replied when asked what these consultants did for the school during those investigations.
Corcoran then swiftly walked away without answering any more questions.
PR contracts raise questions about political loyalty
Ben Wilcox, who leads Integrity Florida, a nonpartisan government watchdog group, believes these contracts should raise concerns for taxpayers.
"I think it looks bad to the public," Wilcox said. "That's pretty much how government operates these days, where we see these kinds of sweetheart deals given to former allies who are being rewarded for their loyalty,” Wilcox said.
For Hernandez, her concern isn’t just about the dollar amounts and the political connections — it's also what this spending on PR is ultimately promoting.
"The takeover is a political game," she said. "That tells me that we're using funds for that political intent more so than the academic program."
