GAINESVILLE, Fla- The Florida High School Athletic Association’s
Board of Directors held their fifth and final regularly scheduled meeting of the 2025-26 school year on
Tuesday June 9, 2026, in Gainesville.
During the meeting, the Board was presented with and supported the FHSAA, Inc. and FHSAA Land Corporation’s financial statements for the period ending April 30, 2026. The tentative budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year was also approved.
The Board approved promoting 14 Conditional Member schools, as outlined in Bylaw 3.4, to full membership in the FHSAA beginning with the 2026-27 school year.
The Board also admitted 19 new schools seeking first time membership in the FHSAA, of which seven (six combination/senior high schools and one middle school) will become full members right away. The remaining members will enter the application period of membership and undergo the first year of the Conditional Membership Period for the 2026-27 school year.
During the report of the Governance Committee, the Board voted to approve bylaw and policy amendments resulting from SB178 and SB538 for the 2026-27 school year. SB178 addresses the use of personal funds by head coaches for food, transportation, and recovery services for their student-athletes. SB538 addresses non-traditional student participation, transfer regulations, and appeals timeline.
The following bylaws and policies were amended to align with updated statutory language:
- Bylaw 4.4.2.2 Modifies language to increase sectional appeals to twice a month per Administrative Section, with the second meeting being teleconference only.
- Bylaw 9.2 Modifies language relative to non-traditional student participation options
- Bylaw 9.3 Modifies language relative to transfer student eligibility
- Bylaw 16.6 Removes language relative to participation options for individual non-traditional types and removes language relative to transfer students.
- Bylaw 16.7 Modifies language relative to the registration requirements for non-traditional students, amending applicable forms.
- Bylaw 36.4.3 Adds new language relative to the use of personal funds for food, transportation, and recovery services.
The Board approved the Spring sports dates as presented with a change to Competitive Cheer.
The board unanimously approved the Open Division format of team sports with the inclusion of flag football and lacrosse.
For Football, the top eight teams will be selected based on MaxPreps rankings at the conclusion of the regular season.
For all other sports, the top eight teams will be selected based on FHSAA MaxPreps rankings and the conclusion of district tournaments.
The eight qualifying teams will be divided into two pools of four teams each:
- Pool A: Seeds 1, 4, 5, and 8
- Pool B: Seeds 2, 3, 6, and 7
At the conclusion of pool play, the top two teams from each pool will advance to the State Finals host site for a single elimination tournament.
The Board of Directors discussed and approved cost saving initiatives made by executive director, Craig Damon:
- Limit mandatory shot clock use to the Final Four until further notice. During Regional contests, the shot clock will be used if available, unless both teams agree otherwise.
Implementing this recommendation will not eliminate, but will suspend implementation to help support member schools by reducing associated costs.
The Board voted unanimously to retain Marcus Chambers as Board President and Paul Selvidio as Vice President for the 2026-27 school year.
About the FHSAA
The Florida High School Athletic Association supervises and regulates interscholastic athletic programs for high school students at member public, private and charter schools. The organization also recognizes and honors academic achievement among student-athletes at over 850 middle, junior and senior high schools statewide. Headquartered in Gainesville, it is the official governing body for interscholastic athletics in Florida.