Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation (SB 1134) Wednesday banning local governments from funding or promoting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, with local officials who are found to have violated the law subject to removal from office.
The bill defines DEI as any effort to “manipulate or otherwise influence the composition of employees with reference to race, color, sex, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation other than to ensure that hiring is conducted in accordance with state and federal antidiscrimination laws.”
It also defines DEI as efforts to “promote or provide preferential treatment or special benefits to a person or group based on that person’s or group’s race, color, sex, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation; or promote or adopt training, programming, or activities designed or implemented with reference to race, color, sex, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation.”
The governor defined DEI as “an ideological construct” designed to promote an agenda to the detriment of white males.
“A lot of people say ‘Oh, that’s fine, that’s fine.’ No, it’s not fine,” the governor said at a press conference in Jacksonville. “It’s wrong. And so you do that, but you also see with some of these universities that have done it, you’ve seen discrimination against Asian-American students. They’re picking winners and losers, and I think the proper approach is to treat people based on merit and not try to divvy them up into various different groups.”
The bill was sponsored in the Senate by Clay Yarborough, R-Jacksonville. He scoffed at the criticism that such a bill wasn’t necessary, citing taxpayer funds being spent for DEI initiatives across the state, including in Broward County.
“Broward County has spent almost $900,000 on DEI training as of fiscal year 2020, which included pushing something called ‘The Genderbread Person’ image, that concept, to promote gender ideology, as recent as last year,” he said.
“And also, for the $2.8 million in annual culture spending in Broward, the county’s grants manual indicates the cultural grants are awarded on the basis of DEI criteria, and that the county makes intentional effort to DEI-oriented programs.”
When the bill was being debated on the House floor last month, Democrats criticized it as including vague and unclear standards about what would be a violation of the law and the penalties attached.
Rep. Ashley Gantt, D-Miami, said there were about 12 carveouts for local governments in the bill, but that didn’t mean officials could understand them. She introduced an unsuccessful amendment providing a description of what DEI is and what would be allowed under the legislation.
Civil rights groups slammed the bill.
“This isn’t about efficiency or accountability,” said Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus President Kristen Browde.
“DeSantis is just trying to create another extreme right wing talking point for his future campaigns, by trying to prevent local communities from creating opportunities for minority and traditionally underserved segments of our society. The law is wrongheaded and unconstitutional and will likely be struck down even by conservative justices.”
Genesis Robinson, executive director of Equal Ground, said he feared programs created by local governments to give minorities access to public contracts and address disparities in public health are all in jeopardy.
“Supporters will claim this is about ‘merit.’ It is not,” he said in a written statement.
“We know what ‘merit’ looks like in systems that were never designed with us in mind. Black communities have had to navigate redlining, underfunded schools, discriminatory lending, and inequitable contracting and still built thriving businesses, families, and institutions. DEI did not hand out opportunities. It helped level a playing field that has long been tilted.”
Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Contact Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com. Follow Florida Phoenix on Facebook and Twitter.
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