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By David L. Snelling

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law a bill which now bans local city and county governments from promoting and funding Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives which include celebrating Black History and Caribbean cultural heritage events.

Senate Bill 1134 also gives DeSantis the power to remove local government officials from office if they violate the new law, which was passed along party lines during the final hours of the 2026 Florida Legislative Session.

In signing the bill, DeSantis said DEI initiatives discriminated against groups like white men.
“I would think with DEI ⁠the disfavored groups, number one obviously, would be white males and I think ​they’ve been discriminated against,” DeSantis said on Wednesday.

During the Legislative Session, Florida Democrats said the bill’s language was too vague and would cause a lot of confusion among government officials who face termination even if they support their own cultural heritages or LGBTQ events.

According to the bill filed by Republican Senator Clay Yarborough, local governments found in violation could also face lawsuits from any resident who chooses to sue, and the measure prohibits municipalities in Florida from issuing even resolutions that reference DEI.

It also bars cities and counties from establishing a DEI office or employing a DEI officer.

Yarborough said promoting race, cultural heritage events, gender and LGBTQ initiatives is prohibited under the new law.
“The term does not include the use of equal opportunity or equal employment opportunity materials designed to inform a person about the prohibition against discrimination based on protected status under state or federal law,” said Yarborough.

Yarborough said the law doesn’t ban organizations from promoting heritage cultural events and LGBTQ parades in Florida cities, but only local governments are barred from promoting and funding them.

Rep. Ashley Gantt, a Democrat from Miami, said there were now about 12 carve outs for local governments in the bill, but that didn’t mean officials would be able to understand them.

She introduced an amendment providing a clear description of the DEI bill including what is allowed under the legislation but House Republicans rejected it.

Democratic Rep. Christine Hunschofsky from Parkland said the bill needed an amendment because the language is too vague and could cause an uproar.

For example, she said local governments could be prohibited from issuing a proclamation for Jamaican Independence Day.
“But it could mean that you couldn’t have an immigrant heritage month,” she said. “It could mean you can’t have a proclamation for Jamaican Independence Day or you could be removed from office. It could mean that you couldn’t celebrate Women’s History Month or Women’s Equality Day or Diwali or Chinese New Year or Easter.”

State Rep. Marie Woodson (D-Hollywood), a Haitian American, said the bill would create major problems and draw lawsuits.
“It tells our marginalized communities that their struggles do not matter,” she said. “By banning DEI initiatives we are closing the door on understanding and compassion, and those are crucial elements for a thriving society.”

The bill does allow local governments to recognize federal and state holidays and special observances; recognizing the individuals and groups honored by state monuments, memorials, and museums, or national monuments and memorials, including recognizing the events and individuals forming the basis for such monuments and memorials.

Equal rights advocates and supporters of the LGBTQ+ community condemned the bill.
“Once again, Governor DeSantis and Florida lawmakers are advancing one of the most sweeping and extreme bills in the country, this time threatening decades of local progress supporting diverse communities, including the LGBTQ community,” Joe Saunders, senior political director for the state LGBTQ rights group Equality Florida, said in a statement. “This legislation is a sledgehammer aimed at cities and counties that dare to recognize and address the diversity of the people they serve.”

Florida Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith, the first openly LGBTQ Latino lawmaker said the bill is an affront to supporters of equal rights.
“This bill is rotten to its core,” he said during a Senate hearing on the legislation.

The bill is part of a broader push by Florida to eliminate DEI initiatives in schools, colleges and workplaces.

The new law takes effect on January 1, 2027.