Cris Carter, Jimbo Fisher joins Florida high school coaches in advocating for pay increase

NFL Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter on Wednesday joined a contingent of Florida high school coaches that visited Tallahassee, according to a report by USA Today, in advocating for pay increases in the Sunshine State.

Carter was also joined by former Florida State/Texas A&M head football coach Jimbo Fisher in joining the fight in helping to push lawmakers in the state to pass SB 538 and HB731, which would allow public school districts to significantly increase compensation for high school coaches across the board. SB 538 on Thursday passed the Senate with a unanimous 38-0 vote by lawmakers.

“Bill Conley, wherever you are, you are responsible for Cris Carter making it through the Pro Football Hall of Fame,” Carter said via the USA Today report of Bill Conley, who coached the NFL Hall of Famer during his high school days at Middletown (OH).

When it comes to being paid to coach high school athletics, coaches throughout the state of Florida are among the lowest in the country, with stipends regularly anywhere from $3,000 to $6,000 in most areas.

“Our coaches are under compensated,” Fisher said in the report.

HB 731 focuses primarily on extracurricular funding flexibility for Florida high school school sports coaches, officially allowing booster clubs funds for extra pay. The bill’s key provision would gives school districts around the Sunshine State the flexibility to use booster club donations for coaching compensation, but would strictly prohibit using the funds to be used for severance pay of any sort.

SB 538 on the other hand centers around eligibility for athletic activities, removing the Florida High School Athletic Association’s (FHSAA) role for private school participation and bans schools from charging extra fees for extracurriculars.

Another bill relating to high school sports in the state of Florida that passed the Senate on Thursday was SB 178, proposed bill by senator Shervin Jones (District 34). The bill would allow public school K-12 head coaches to use up to $15,000 of their own funds to support student-athletes with food, transportation and recovery services.

The next step in the process towards higher coaching pay taking place in Florida is the two bills being presented and approved by the House & Senate, which is expected to happen sometime in March. The final steps after that would need to be signed off by Governor Ron DeSantis before it’s fully and officially approved to go into law.

According to the Florida Coaches Coalition, what didn’t get passed in the bills was the proposed coaches’ stipends amounts that had been worked on by Andrew Ramjit of the FCC that would set coaching pay at minimum wage, which would have been $15 an hour.

How to Follow Florida High School Football

For Florida high school football fans looking to keep up with scores around the Sunshine State, staying updated on the action is now easier than ever with the Rivals High School Scoreboard. This comprehensive resource provides real-time updates and final scores from across the Sunshine State, ensuring you never miss a moment of the Friday night frenzy. From nail-biting finishes to dominant performances, the Rivals High School Scoreboard is your one-stop destination for tracking all the Florida high school football excitement across the state.