Steven Walker

Steven Walker is the education reporter for the Orlando Sentinel, covering issues in K-12 and higher education. He previously covered education in Sarasota with USA TODAY where he earned an Edward R. Murrow Award for his work covering the rise of conservative politics in Florida school boards.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said he plans to investigate the Campbell's Soup Company for allegedly using lab-grown meat, a charge the company denies. (J. David Ake/AP file)

Florida AG vows to investigate Campbell Soup after claims of ‘lab grown meat’

November 26, 2025 at 11:47 a.m.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier vows to investigate the Campbell Soup Company after claims the company uses "lab-grown meat" in its soups — a charge the company denies.

Students gather for a ‘Welcome Back Popsicle Social’ in front of Millican Hall and the Reflection Pond, on the first day of school for UCF, on Monday, August 23, 2021.
(High-dynamic-range composite image by Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/ Orlando Sentinel)

Florida DOGE seeks information on every course taught at universities

November 21, 2025 at 3:37 p.m.

Gov. Ron DeSantis DOGE effort has told Florida universities to turn over information of courses and majors offered, including all syllabi.

Florida Department of Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas speaks during a news conference in Orlando on July 15, 2025. (Rich Pope/Orlando Sentinel)

Florida OKs ‘evils of communism’ standards, signs Heritage Foundation pledge

November 13, 2025 at 3:25 p.m.

Some criticized both documents, calling them propaganda and indoctrination, but state leaders said they would help teach patriotism and create better American citizens.

Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk speaks at a Turning Point event prior to Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, speaking, Sept. 4, 2024, in Mesa, Ariz. A former employee at Eastern Florida State College filed a federal lawsuit against the school after being terminated for social media posts about Kirk in the wake of his assassination. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

Employee fired over Charlie Kirk posts sues Eastern Florida State College

November 13, 2025 at 1:25 p.m.

An employee of Eastern Florida State College fired for social media posts about Charlie Kirk sued the school in federal court on Wednesday, claiming it violated her First Amendment rights.

University of Central Florida President Alexander Cartwright as seen on Sept. 22, 2025. UCF was recognized as an “outlier” in the state’s audit of state universities, being the most financially-efficient in the state. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)

State DOGE audit finds UCF most-efficient university, New College the least

November 7, 2025 at 4:40 p.m.

The audit, which Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered in February, looked into spending at Florida's 12 public universities, concluding that the Orlando university got the "most results" from state funding.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks during a press conference at Florida International University on Sept. 25, 2025, in Miami, Florida. On Wednesday, DeSantis asked the state’s higher education board to “pull the plug” on H1B visas.(Giorgio Viera/AFP via Getty Images)

DeSantis wants Florida universities to ‘pull the plug’ on H-1B staff from foreign countries

October 29, 2025 at 3:30 p.m.

DeSantis wants Florida universities to stop hiring faculty and staff from foreign countries under the H-1B program. Currently nearly 400 people work under that program.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at Miami’s Freedom Tower, Monday, May 9, 2022, in Miami. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

Florida’s ‘anti-communism’ curriculum criticized as ‘propaganda’ by experts

October 28, 2025 at 6:02 a.m.

Florida's proposed anti-communism curriculum faces criticism from some historians, particularly for its treatment of Sen. Joseph McCarthy, who pushed a communist panic in the 1950s.

Charlie Kirk speaks before he is shot during Turning Point’s visit to Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. On Tuesday, a Florida lawmaker filed a bill requiring every state college and university to rename a road in memory of Kirk. (Tess Crowley/The Deseret News via AP)

Florida lawmaker wants every university to rename roads after Charlie Kirk

October 8, 2025 at 11:48 a.m.

The legislation designates roads to be renamed at each state university campus. If schools do not comply, they could lose funding, according to the bill text.

Full Sail University in Winter Park, Fla., Wednesday, May 14, 2025. In May, a federal court unsealed a whistleblower complaint against Full Sail alleging fraud and a “pay-for-play” hiring scheme. (Willie J. Allen Jr./Orlando Sentinel)

Whistleblowers allege Full Sail University ‘hoodwinked’ students with fake jobs

October 6, 2025 at 6:59 a.m.

The complaint, filed in federal court in California, alleges that Full Sail University paid employers to hire graduates temporarily, which netted the school more federal money.

A display of books standing on a bookshelf in a library

Florida again leads U.S. in book bans in 2024-25, free speech group says

October 2, 2025 at 1:19 p.m.

The Sunshine State topped PEN America's list for the third straight year, as it tallied more than 2,300 instances of book removals.

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