DeSantis Signs $15,000 Teddy Bridgewater Act for Florida High School Coaches

7 articles · Updated · ESPN · May 23

$15,000 per team per year is now the cap for Florida high school head coaches using personal money for players' food, transportation, physical therapy and rehabilitation.
The law followed Teddy Bridgewater's 2025 suspension after he disclosed paying for meals, ride-share trips and treatments for Miami Northwestern players with his own funds.
Florida built in guardrails: only head coaches can spend the money, the aid cannot be used for recruiting, and all spending must be fully reported to a state agency.
Bridgewater said he spent up to $6,000 in some weeks and another $23,500 on training camp and apparel, helping turn his case into a push to rewrite the rules.
DeSantis also signed a separate pay bill letting districts use booster-club revenue and donations to raise coaching pay, where Broward football stipends averaged $3,038 versus more than $100,000 in some neighboring states.

As coaches can now spend $15,000 on players, does this fix Florida's underfunded school sports or just privatize the solution?

Will allowing coaches to spend their own money create a new recruiting war based on personal wealth, not just coaching skill?