EO 20-212 - Executive Order Number 20-212

Oct 5, 2026

Executive Order No. 20-212 issued by Governor Ron DeSantis addresses Florida’s COVID-19 emergency impacts on education and eligibility for Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Awards. The order modifies scholarship testing and deadline requirements for the 2019-2020 academic year, suspending parts of specified award rules to allow qualifying SAT/ACT outcomes by December 1, 2020, and extending provisions affected by cancelled or limited testing opportunities.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages3

Reading Time8 min

AccessFree to download

Office of the Governor

Executive Order Number 20-212

Section 1 - Florida Academic Scholars and Florida Medallion Scholars awards

Section 2 - Florida Gold Seal Vocational Scholars award

Section 3 - Use of scholarship funds for distance learning fees

Section 4 - Continuation of DOE Order No. 2020-EO-05

Section 5 - Expiration date

STATE OF FLORIDA # OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOREXECUTIVE ORDER NUMBER 20-212 WHEREAS,on March 1,2020,I issued Executive Order 20-51 directing the FloridaDepartment of Health to issue a Public Health Emergency;and WHEREAS,on March 9,2020,I issued Executive Order 20-52 declaring a state of emergency,which has been extended by Executive Orders 20-114 and 20-166;and WHEREAS,the cost of providing distance learning resulted in some educationalinstitutions imposing distance learning fees;and WHEREAS,some students receiving Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Awards havebeen impacted by such fees;and WHEREAS,due to the emergency,the spring and summer administrations of the ACT andSAT tests were cancelled,limited in availability,or not offered,impacting the ability of seniorsgraduating in 2020 to qualify for Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Awards;and WHEREAS,the Florida Department of Education issued Emergency Order No.2020-EO-05 to respond to the emergency by suspending certain statutes and rules governing awards earnedunder the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program,allowing more seniors graduating in thespring of 2020 to complete their volunteer hours,and extending the deadline for students sittingfor the ACT and SAT to July 31,2020;and WHEREAS,the College Board did not offer the SAT prior to July 31,2020,therebypreventing recently graduated seniors from the opportunity to earn an award under the FloridaBright Futures Scholarship Program;and WHEREAS,the ACT was offered over the summer in some places,but in many instancesthese tests were cancelled or reached capacity,thereby preventing some recently graduated seniorsfrom the opportunity to earn an award under the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program. NOW,THEREFORE,I,RON DESANTIS,as Governor of Florida,by virtue of theauthority vested in me by Article IV,Section(1)(a)of the Florida Constitution,Chapter 252,Florida Statutes,and all other applicable laws,promulgate the following Executive Order to takeimmediate effect: Section 1.Florida Academic Scholars and Florida Medallion Scholars awards.Rule6A-20.028(3)(g)1.d.,F.A.C.,is suspended in part,to allow students graduating in the 2019-2020academic year,to earn at least the required minimum SAT and ACT scores as specified for eachBright Futures Scholarship award level in section 1009.531(6),F.S.,no later than December 1,2020.Sections of the SAT or ACT from different test dates may continue to be used to meet thetest criteria through December 1,2020,but test types cannot be mixed. Section 2.Florida Gold Seal Vocational Scholars award.Rule 6A-20.028(3)(g)2. F.A.C.,is suspended in part,to allow students graduating in the 2019-2020 academic year,to earnat least the minimum qualifying subtest scores from the Florida Postsecondary EducationReadiness Test(PERT),SAT,or ACT,as specified in rule 6A-10.0315,F.A.C.,no later thanDecember 1,2020.Sections of the PERT,SAT,or ACT from different test dates may continue tobe used to meet the test criteria through December 1,2020,but test types cannot be mixed. Section 3.Notwithstanding sections 1009.534(2).or 1009.535(2).Florida Statutes.forthe summer 2020 term only,funds from any scholarship within the Florida Bright FuturesScholarship Program may be used to pay for distance learning fees charged by a Florida university up to the point that it is revenue neutral or represents a lowering of overall fees.Thissection only applies to fees associated with summer 2020 term courses. Section 4.Except as modified by this order,DOE Order No.2020-E0-05 remains in force. Section 5.Expiration date.The expiration date of this Order shall correspond withExecutive Order No.20-52,and any extensions thereto,unless otherwise stated above. IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF,I have hereuntoset my hand and caused the Great Seal of theState of Florida to be affixed,at Tallahassee,this ATTEST: R te SECRETARY OF STATE E 90:7人Pr5S测 TALLAHASSEE,FLORIDA 2328 SEP-I PM6:09 FILED 一UF3T

FAQs

What problem does Executive Order 20-212 address for scholarship recipients?

It addresses impacts from the COVID-19 emergency on distance learning fees and on students’ ability to earn Florida Bright Futures Scholarship awards due to disrupted or cancelled SAT/ACT testing.

How does the order change SAT/ACT requirements for Florida Academic Scholars and Florida Medallion Scholars?

It suspends parts of the applicable rules to allow students graduating in the 2019-2020 academic year to earn the minimum required SAT and ACT scores no later than December 1, 2020, using sections from different test dates for criteria through that date, without mixing test types.

Can Bright Futures scholarship funds be used for distance learning fees in summer 2020?

Yes. For the summer 2020 term only, scholarship funds may pay distance learning fees charged by a Florida university up to the point that the arrangement is revenue neutral or reduces overall fees, limited to summer 2020 term course fees.

Oct 5, 2026

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