Every member of the Miami Beach Commission is urging Florida lawmakers to reject legislation that would sharply curtail local diversity-related programs, warning it could dismantle routine public services and expose cities to lawsuits.
In a letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis and legislative leaders, Mayor Steven Meiner and all six Commissioners opposed SB 1134 and its House companion (HB 1001), describing them as amorphous measures that would undermine local governance and threaten community programs.
The bills are sponsored by Sen. Clay Yarborough and Rep. Dean Black, both Jacksonville Republicans. The legislation would prohibit counties and cities from funding or promoting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, including offices, programming or training tied to demographic characteristics such as race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity or sexual orientation.
Violations could expose local officials to misfeasance and malfeasance charges and potential removal from office. The legislation would also allow individuals to sue local governments they believe are violating the proposed law.
Supporters, including the Florida Young Republicans and DeSantis — who gave the legislation an emphatic “Let’s go!” on X last month — argue the measures would stop governments from using taxpayer dollars on programs that favor certain groups, ensuring decisions are based solely on merit.
Critics, including Equality Florida and Miami Gardens Democratic Sen. Shevrin Jones, warn that the proposals are vague, invite frivolous lawsuits and could produce unintended consequences for local governments and communities. Jones called the legislation “unnecessary.”
Miami Beach leaders echoed those concerns in their letter, calling the definition of DEI “overly broad” and cautioning that it could “be construed as prohibiting the most basic and routine actions of local governments.”
They raised numerous questions illustrating the bill’s potential scope: Would cities be barred from supporting cultural festivals, such as the Miami Jewish Film Festival and American Black Film Festival Miami, which are ethnicity-specific and receive support from Miami Beach and the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau, among others? Could they fund health initiatives targeted at women, such as free mammograms? Would cities risk penalties for translating emergency alerts into Spanish or Creole, or sponsoring heritage celebrations tied to immigrant communities?
The City Commission warned of significant financial consequences. By requiring contractors to certify that they do not use municipal funds for DEI instruction, cities might be forced to reject otherwise qualified vendors offering the lowest bids, resulting in higher taxpayer costs.
They also pointed to costly litigation localities could face from individuals alleging violations, which could jeopardize large-scale events and cultural programming that generate tourism revenue and economic activity.
During Committee debates, lawmakers and advocates raised similar hypotheticals highlighting uncertainty about the legislation’s reach: Could someone sue a city over a cultural festival focused on a specific ethnic group? Would recognizing certain heritage events expose cities to lawsuits?
Black said courts would ultimately determine such questions. He did not speak to how expanding standing for such lawsuits could chill — or kill — current and future programs with net benefits to the community.
Programs that could be put at risk include sex-specific homeless shelters such as the Lotus House for women and Miami Rescue Mission for men, self-defense classes the Miami Beach Police Department offers specifically to women, and scholarships funded through organizations like the South Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
Public health initiatives could also be affected, including the aforementioned mammograms for underinsured women, outreach to increase bone marrow registry participation among Hispanic and Black residents, and Kosher meal programs for Jewish seniors, all of which could fall under scrutiny if they are interpreted as targeting specific demographic groups.
SB 1134 awaits a Senate floor vote after clearing its last committee hurdle on a 19-5 vote Tuesday, with “no” votes coming exclusively from Democrats. HB 1001, which has similarly advanced on party-line votes, pends a hearing before the House Commerce Committee, the last of three panels to which it was referred.