Legislation in Florida that would allow booster clubs to compensate high school coaches has passed both the state Senate and House and now awaits the signature of governor Ron DeSantis, who has signaled support for the measure.
According to Youth Sports Business Report, siting coverage by USA TODAY, SB 738 cleared the Senate unanimously before passing the House 104-6 earlier this month.
The legislation was sponsored by representatives Adam Anderson and Shane Abbott and carried in the Senate by Corey Simon, a former NFL defensive tackle.
"The idea is to enable public schools to significantly increase compensation for coaches and advisors of extracurricular activities such as football, volleyball, debate clubs and theater," wrote James Call of the USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida.
According to YSBR, groups such as the Florida Coaches Coalition have long pushed for better compensation, pointing to burnout and turnover driven by minimal stipends. The bill also allows districts classify coaches as administrative personnel, a change supporters say formalizes what is already happening informally across the state.
Co-sponsor Abbott argued the measure could help smaller, rural programs attract and retain coaches. Backers also framed it as a competitiveness issue, noting that top high school football coaches in neighboring states routinely earn six-figure salaries, YSBR reported.
“I think this increases parity,” Abbott said, as reported by USA TODAY. “This is going to help the 1-A [smallest enrollment, mostly rural] schools just as much as it does the big schools that have the money because they’re now going to be able to pay coaches additional money that they weren’t able to, which is better than what they had.”
Rep. Robin Bartleman raised concerns that the bill could deepen inequities between well-funded and under-resourced schools and potentially conflict with federal protections against sex-based discrimination.
“You’re going to create 'have' and 'have not' issues because schools in high socioeconomic areas will be able to raise more money in their booster clubs. I just think this sends the wrong message if we’re putting all this emphasis on a coach ... this isn’t what education is about,” Bartleman said, as reported by USA TODAY.
Whether the bill narrows or widens competitive gaps in Florida will depend largely on how individual districts implement their booster club policies, according to YSBR.
