Some college students in the Sunshine State may see a big break on their tuition this year under a proposal passed Thursday by the Florida Senate.
For the second year in a row, the Senate approved an overhaul of the state higher education system.
The measure would permanently expand the amount of money provided under the state's popular Bright Futures scholarships to nearly 100,000 students.
Top-performing high school students would get either 75 or 100 percent of their tuition costs covered if the measure becomes law.
"We never want to have an obstacle in the way of young men and women being able to complete their university or college education," Senate President Joe Negron said. "The bill we passed today really transformed our commitment to higher education."
Florida, in an effort to trim back the cost, scaled back the scholarship program during the Great Recession. Negron has championed the idea of restoring the scholarship amounts as part of an overall package that he and other senators say is designed to make it easier for students to graduate faster.