Lawmakers said all session they're dedicated to a "world-class" university system. House Speaker Marco Rubio on opening day: "Our universities play a critical role in making us globally competitive. We can not have a vibrant economy, without vibrant universities."

Yet Florida's top research institutions - one vehicle for boosting the state's economy - are losing some of their best faculty this summer to other states where higher ed financing and politics is less uncertain. Charles Figley, internationally renowned traumatologist at FSU, is leaving for Tulane.

"I just didn't sense the universities were very high on the priority list with the current government, the governor as well as the Legislature." He's not alone. Read more here.