Local school football coach leaves Florida where salary remains one of the lowest in the country

Lake Howell High School has not been one of the powerhouses of the Orlando high school football scene over the last 30 years. So when a local coach takes over the program and leads it to back-to-back winning seasons people start paying attention. And not just locally or in the state.

Head coach Shaun Lorenzano, an alumnus of Lyman High School, becomes the latest football coach in the state of Florida to move on to another state. And while not necessarily the only reason, the salary of coaches has a lot to do with it.

High school head coaches in the state of Florida can receive in the range of $3000-$4000 per year as a stipend. South Carolina, the state that Lorenzano is moving to, has coaches receiving as much as a $12,000 stipend. And the previous head coach at Fort Dorchester, the school Lorenzano is heading to, received a salary of $102,914 as of 2022 according to public records when taking into account their stipend, teaching position, and athletic director role. It is unclear at this point what Lorenzano’s salary will be, but a sizeable increase can be anticipated.

And this is only the latest in a line of coaches, and not just in football, either leaving the profession or heading out of state in large part due to the low compensation they receive. Pair that with a state that ranks 48th in public school teacher pay, according to National Education Association data, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to keep coaching and teaching talent in the state.

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