The next president of the Florida Senate began a "listening tour" of the state's public universities Monday by pledging to hold the line on tuition increases.

While acknowledging that Florida's state university tuition - at just over $6,000 a year for in-state undergraduates - is well below the national average, Sen. Joe Negron (R-Stuart) said the university system could grow without asking students to pay more.

"My goal is to be able to do this from revenues that the legislature has available to it and not to expect tuition increases," Negron told reporters after touring Florida State University.

Tuition remains a sensitive issue on many campuses, with faculty leaders and even some student groups advocating for significant increases as a way of attracting top instructional and research talent.

Over the past eight years, state university tuition has increased by roughly 65 percent.