Florida Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez is expected to step down this week to take a job as the interim president of Florida International University in Miami.
The school is expected to name her to the spot Friday, according to sources familiar with the school's plans, Politico reported Wednesday.
The move will give Gov. Ron DeSantis another position to fill in the state's government and to bring in a lieutenant governor who might end up succeeding him in 2026, as he's term-limited from running again.
The governor recently appointed Ashley Moody, who was Florida's attorney general, to the U.S. Senate, replacing former Sen. Marco Rubio, who President Donald Trump chose as secretary of state.
Meanwhile, Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis is expected to win the election to fill former Rep. Matt Gaetz's House seat. If he wins, that will leave DeSantis needing to fill the CFO spot as well as the attorney general seat.
The governor has said he intends to appoint his chief of staff James Uthmeier to replace Moody.
The Board of Trustees at Florida International University is expected to meet Friday to name Nunez as the school's interim president.
Current President Kenneth Jessell's contract does not expire until Nov. 9, and there had been no indication FIU was seeking a new president, as no search committee had been formed.
CBS Miami first reported the news about Nunez, with sources saying the lieutenant governor will be named as interim president at FIU effective immediately.
One source said the appointment is "imminent" and another said "she is available now."
One source confirmed that she will "not be there" for the start of Florida's legislative session in March, and others said she has been reaching out to officials at FIU about the transition.
The Miami Herald/Times reported that Nunez, a former healthcare lobbyist and FIU graduate, is expected to resign from her post in state government Friday.
Nunez and the governor's office have not commented on the news.
With FIU being a public institution, its Board of Trustees must conduct a formal search and cannot name Nunez directly as university president, CBS reported.
The trustees, however, can name her the interim president and later remove the "interim" part of the title.
Nunez's new potential position also would mark a significant pay raise for her. She currently earns $135,515 annually as lieutenant governor. The base salary for a president at FIU is $650,000 a year and comes with another $175,000 in bonuses.
Nunez, though, is expected to negotiate an annual salary and bonus package coming to more than $1 million. The job also provides the college president with an on-campus house.
DeSantis picked Nunez, also a former state GOP legislator from Miami, as his running mate in 2018.