Governor DeSantis signs bill allowing compensation for Florida student athletes

Compensation of student athletes has been banned by the NCAA for many decades. Their efforts to prevent this in the name of amateurism has come under scrutiny in recent years. The NCAA themselves have discussed allowing compensation for likeness as soon as 2021.

Today, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced he is signing the bill that enshrines Florida student athletes’ rights to compensation into the Florida Statutes:

In a press conference held today at the University of Miami’s Indoor Practice Facility, Gov. DeSantis signed Florida Senate Bill 646 (House Bill 7051), “Intercollegiate Athlete Compensation and Rights”.

The Florida bill is not the first image and likeness bill signed by a governor into law. California’s Governor Gavin Newsom signed in a similar bill; however Florida’s implementation begins July 1, 2021, well before the California bill’s effective date.

This is part of a wider movement by several states to ensure student athletes can receive compensation for their name, likeness, and image rights.

The bill may provide Florida schools a temporary recruiting advantage, which Governor DeSantis noted:

Stay tuned to Tomahawk Nation for more updates and analysis on how this will affect Florida State Seminoles athletics.